SHILLONG: The Chief Justice of High Court of Meghalaya, Biswanath Somadder, who was sworn in on Monday, will follow national and state protocol related to COVID-19.
In response to the queries of journalists on Monday whether the Chief Justice had followed the protocols before and after his arrival, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said that the protocols were followed before he arrived and he will also follow the state protocols.
The Chief Justice had travelled by road from Allahabad and arrived in Shillong on Sunday night from Kolkata.
To a query, Tynsong said all persons who arrived in Shillong were screened at the check posts.
Commenting on the sudden appointment of Chief Justice during the COVID-19 crisis, Tynsong said the judiciary needs a Chief Justice just as the state needs a Chief Minister.
Earlier, Justice Somadder was administered the oath of office of Chief Justice at Raj Bhavan by Governor Tathagata Roy after strictly observing all social distancing norms prevailing due to COVID-19.
The state government also notified the Chief Justice as the patron-in-chief of the Meghalaya State Legal Services Authority with immediate effect.
Prior to his appointment as Chief Justice, he had served as a Judge at the High Court of Calcutta and took up related assignments in West Bengal. He had also functioned as the Acting Chief Justice of the High Court of Calcutta from January to April 2019 and in October the same year he assumed charge as Judge of Allahabad High Court.
Born on December 15, 1963 at Calcutta, Justice Somadder completed his BA and LLB examination from the University of Calcutta and served the state’s legal bodies in various capacities.
