By IANS,
Agartala: The chief justice and three judges of the new Tripua High Court were sworn in here Friday, ending a 30-year-old wait for a functional high court in the state.
“Today is a red letter day for the people of Tripura. It’s historic day. The people of Tripura’s over 30-years-old struggle has ended with the setting up of a separate high court,” Chief Minister Manik Sarkar told reporters at Raj Bhavan after the swearing in ceremony of the new chief justice and other judges of the new Tripura High Court.
Sarkar said: “We strongly believe that with the setting up of the new high court, democracy in Tripura would be stronger, consolidated and vibrant.”
Sarkar, who assumed office March 6 for a fourth consecutive time, said that people of Tripura would get speedy justice from the new high court. “Their (people’s) miseries to solve legal disputes would be resolved to a large extent.”
Governor D.Y. Patil administered the oath of office and secrecy to Justice Deepak Gupta, who is from Himachal Pradesh, as the new chief justice of Tripura High Court. He also administered the oath of office and secrecy to Justice Utpalendu Bikash Saha, Swapan Chandra Das and Subhashish Talapatra as judges.
Justice Saha, Justice Das and Justice Talapatra were judges of Gauhati High Court.
The obligatory amendment to the North-Eastern Areas (Re-organisation) Act, 1971 – the North-Eastern Areas (Re-organisation) and Other Related Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2012 – was passed by the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha in May 2012, paving the way for the creation of separate high courts in Tripura, Meghalaya and Manipur.
“Union Law and Justice Minister Ashwani Kumar, along with Chief Justice (of India) Altamas Kabir, will inaugurate the Manipur and Meghalaya High Courts March 25 and the Tripura High Court,” Tripura law department secretary Datamohan Jamatia told IANS.
The seven northeastern states — Assam, Tripura, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh — have been under the Gauhati High Court with benches in the respective state capitals. Sikkim has a separate high court.
Tripura High Court Chief Justice Deepak Gupta is expected to administer the oath of office and secrecy to new governor Devanand Konwar Monday at the Raj Bhavan.