Biswanath Somadder, who drove 2,000 km from Prayagraj via Kolkata to reach Shillong, went into home quarantine after taking oath as the Chief Justice of the High Court of Meghalaya on Monday.
Court officials said Chief Justice Somadder had travelled by road following national protocols related to COVID-19 and honoured State protocols to quarantine himself for 14 days at his official residence soon after State Governor Tathagata Roy swore him in.
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The 57-year-old Chief Justice Somadder assumed charge as a judge of Allahabad High Court in October 2019 after functioning as the Acting Chief Justice of the High Court of Calcutta from January-April that year.
Officials said he took turns with his chauffeur to drive from Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh via Kolkata, where he stayed at his residence briefly. The trip took less than a week.
Meghalaya’s Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong defended the “sudden appointment” amid the COVID-19 lockdown. The government had faced criticism for not waiting a few days for the lockdown to end.
“The judiciary needs a Chief Justice, just as a State needs a Chief Minister or the Army needs a General,” he said.
