More judges needed in Cal HC, names of 17 lawyers recommended for judgeship: CJ Sivagnanam

Maintaining that there is a lot of burden among the sitting judges, retiring Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court Justice T S Sivagnanam on Monday said that the appointment of more judges will be helpful in the speedy disposal of cases.

The CJ said that 17 names have been recommended for judgeship from among lawyers practising at the Calcutta High Court.

''If ten out of the 17 come through, it will be a good addition for the high court,'' Chief Justice Sivagnanam said.

Maintaining that there is a lot of burden among the sitting judges, he said that it will be good if some more judges are appointed.

While the Calcutta High Court has a sanctioned strength of 72 judges, it presently has 45 judges now.

Though there is a tinge of sadness in parting, every judge knows that he or she is going to retire someday, the retiring CJ said.

Justice Soumen Sen is the seniormost judge at the Calcutta High Court following the retirement of Chief Justice Sivagnanam.

A permanent CJ is yet to be appointed succeeding Chief Justice Sivagnanam.

The CJ said that the state legal services authority in the state, during his executive chairmanship, has done substantial work and ''we put West Bengal in a significantly high position, which attracted the attention of the National Legal Services Authority.'' The CJ said that he did not have much difficulty in adapting to the surroundings or the system at the Calcutta High Court, probably because he also comes from a chartered high court - the Madras High Court.

Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras high courts are called ''chartered'' as they were established by a type of royal charter or decree issued by the British.

''No regrets,'' he maintained, saying that he is yet to decide on the course of a second chapter in life. ''I take things as they come,'' he said.

He joined the Calcutta High Court first as a judge in October 2021 and thereafter was appointed the chief justice of the country's oldest chartered high court in May 2023.

Born on September 16, 1963, Sivagnanam enrolled in the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu in 1986.

He was appointed as an additional judge at the Madras High Court in March 2009 and a permanent judge in March 2011, according to information available on the Calcutta High Court website.

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