By IANS,
Kolkata : Eminent neurosurgeon Indrajit Roy will be the new sheriff of Kolkata, West Bengal government sources said here Friday.
Roy will take over from the incumbent noted journalist Utpal Chatterjee next month, Law Minister Rabilal Moitra told IANS.
“I have been hearing about this. But I am yet to see the letter as I am in Gangtok for a conference,” Roy told IANS.
His name was okayed by the state government from a panel of three names forwarded to the full bench of the Calcutta High Court. Cardiologist Dhiman Kahali and homeopath Rathin Chakraborty also figured in the list.
The sheriff, a legacy of the British Raj, is an apolitical titular position of authority bestowed for one year on a prominent citizen of the city. The sheriff has an office and staff but does not have any executive powers.
Mumbai and Kolkata are the only Indian cities to maintain this post. The sheriff presides over various city-related functions and conferences and is in charge of receiving foreign guests on behalf of the government.