The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended to the government the elevation of Bombay High Court Chief Justice Dipankar Datta as judge of the apex court.
The resolution was made in a meeting of the Collegium, led by Chief Justice of India U.U. Lalit, held on September 26.
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The parent High Court of Justice Datta is Calcutta.
Justice Datta was elevated to the Bench of the Calcutta High Court as a permanent Judge on June 22, 2006.
He was elevated as the Chief Justice of Bombay High Court on April 28, 2020.
Justice Datta was born in 1965. His father, late S.K. Datta, was a former judge of the Calcutta High Court. His brother-in-law, Justice Amitava Roy, was a former judge of the Supreme Court.
Justice Datta studied law from the University of Calcutta. He had acted as the counsel for the Union of India in the late 1990s and was standing counsel for West Bengal between 2002 and 2004. He specialised in constitutional and civil law.
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Justice Datta is the first recommendation made by the Collegium led by Chief Justice Lalit.
The Supreme Court’s judicial strength is currently 29, including the CJI. The sanctioned strength is 34.
Justice Datta’s recommendation comes a few days after the retirement of Justice Indira Banerjee. Justice Banerjee’s retirement has reduced the number of women judges in the Supreme Court from four to three. Justice Banerjee’s retirement saw the entry of Justice K.M. Joseph into the powerful Collegium.
