With air and rail passenger services suspended due to the COVID-19-induced lockdown, two judges embarked on road journeys — each covering over 2,000 km — to take charge as chief justices of high courts at two ends of the country.
President Ram Nath Kovind had on Thursday elevated Justice Dipankar Datta of the Calcutta High Court as the Chief Justice of Bombay High Court, and Justice Biswanath Somadder of the Allahabad High Court as Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court.
Justice Dipankar Datta is taking turns with his son at the steering wheel of his car, as the family moves to Mumbai, sources privy to the development said. He left for Mumbai from Kolkata on Saturday morning and plans to reach the country’s financial capital by Monday afternoon with overnight breaks on the way.
Travelling in the opposite direction from west to east, is Allahabad High Court judge, Justice Somadder, who is driving to Shillong via Kolkata. Justice Somadder, who had served at the Calcutta High Court before being transferred to Allahabad, set out on the journey from the north Indian city along with wife on Friday evening in an official car, sources said.
Taking turns at the wheel with his chauffeur, the judge reached Kolkata on Saturday afternoon. He left for Shillong in the evening, after a few hours of rest at his Salt Lake residence here, to reach the Meghalaya capital on Sunday afternoon.
Both Justice Datta and Justice Somadder were elevated as permanent judges of the Calcutta High Court on June 22, 2006.
In the south, Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court S. Manikumar who went to his native place Tamil Nadu following the lockdown came back here on Saturday by road.
His travel back to the state was arranged following the exchange of communications between the two government’s home departments. The Chief Justice is back here as he has to attend to some important administrative works, according to the High Court sources.
