Justice Kaushik Chanda made permanent judge of Calcutta HC

Justice Kaushik Chanda, an additional judge of the Calcutta High Court, who had recused himself from hearing West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's petition challenging the election of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari from Nandigram, was on Friday elevated as a permanent judge in the same high court.

Justice Chanda had on July 7 recused himself from hearing Banerjee's petition challenging the election of Adhikari from Nandigram assembly constituency this year.

The Law Ministry also notified the resignation of Justice Dama Seshadri Naidu as a judge of the Bombay High Court with effect from the afternoon of August 18. ''Shri Justice Dama Seshadri Naidu has tendered his resignation from the office of Judge, Bombay High Court, in pursuance of proviso (a) to clause (1) of Article 217 of the Constitution, with effect from 18 August, 2021 afternoon,'' the notification read.

Seeking Justice Chanda's recusal, the counsel for the chief minister had claimed that the judge was an active member of the BJP till his appointment as the additional solicitor general of India in 2015 and since the election of a BJP candidate had been challenged, there were apprehensions of bias in the adjudication of the election petition. Justice Chanda had said that he was never a convenor of the BJP Legal Cell, but had appeared in cases representing the party before the Calcutta High Court. The three-member collegium, comprising Chief Justice of India N V Ramana and justices U U Lalit and A M Khanwilkar, had last month approved the proposal to appoint Justice Chanda as a permanent judge and he would have tenure till 2036 as judge of the high court.

''In exercise of the power conferred by clause (1) of Article 217 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Kausik Chanda, Additional Judge of the Calcutta High Court, to be a Judge of the Calcutta High Court with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office,'' the notification issued by the Department of Justice in the Law Ministry read.

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