Dr. B.R. Sarangi, the senior most judge of the Orissa High Court, was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court on Friday. The oath ceremony was conducted by Governor CP Radhakrishnan at the Raj Bhawan. The event took place at the Birsa Mandap in Raj Bhavan, where the Governor administered the oath to Justice Dr. Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi.

After the oath, the Governor extended warm congratulations and best wishes to the new Chief Justice. Before the ceremony, Vandana Dadel, Principal Secretary of the Cabinet Secretariat and Monitoring Department (Coordination), read out the official appointment warrant of Justice Sarangi. Dr. Nitin Kulkarni, Principal Secretary to the Governor, then invited the Chief Justice for the oath-taking.

The ceremony was attended by several notable figures, including Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Rabindra Nath Mahato, judges of the Jharkhand High Court, senior officers from the Indian Administrative and Police Services, and senior advocates of the Jharkhand High Court.

The Central government had notified Justice Sarangi’s appointment on July 4, following a proposal by the Supreme Court Collegium nearly six months ago. Justice Sarangi, who is set to retire on July 20, has been the senior most judge of the Orissa High Court and will now occupy the position of Chief Justice, which has been vacant since December 28, 2023.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren said on the occasion, “Finally, we have a new Chief Justice in the Jharkhand High Court. According to Indian law, an acting Chief Justice can only be appointed under exceptional circumstances and only for a maximum of one month.”

Soren said, “From what I understand, the newly appointed Chief Justice also has a very short tenure. Although the Supreme Court appointed him 7-8 months ago, it took the Central Government this long to send him here. I believe he could have been sent earlier...."