A. New Face as Chief of Karnataka High Court
Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi on Monday took oath as the Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court in a ceremony held at Raj Bhavan. Governor Tawarchand Gehlot administered the oath of office to the new Chief Justice. Justice Awasthi succeeds Justice Abhay Shreenivas Oka who was elevated as a Supreme Court judge in August 2021. Justice Satish Chandra Sharma, who was acting Chief Justice till now, has been elevated as the Chief Justice of Telangana High Court.
B. Background of the Hon’ble Judge
Born on July 3, 1960, Ritu Raj Awasthi graduated in law from Lucknow University in 1986. He practised in civil, service and educational matters at the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court and has also worked as the Assistant Solicitor General of India. The Solicitor General of India is subordinate to the Attorney General for India. They are the second law officer of the country, assists the Attorney General, and is assisted by Additional Solicitors General for India. Currently, the Solicitor General of India is Tushar Mehta. Like the Attorney General for India, the Solicitor General and the Additional Solicitors General advise the Government and appear on behalf of the Union of India in terms of the Law Officers (Terms and Conditions) Rules, 1972. However, unlike the post of Attorney General for India, which is a Constitutional post under Article 76 of the Constitution of India, the posts of the Solicitor General and the Additional Solicitors General are merely statutory.
He was elevated as an additional judge on April 13, 2009 and was made permanent judge on December 24, 2010.
Born on July 3, 1960, Justice Awasthi worked as Assistant Solicitor General of India at Lucknow before his elevation as Additional Judge on April 13, 2009. He took the oath as a permanent judge on December 24, 2010.
C. About the Court at Karnataka
The court’s principal bench is located in Bangalore, the capital city of Karnataka, with additional benches in Hubli-Dharwad and Gulbarga. It was previously called the High Court of Mysore. In Bangalore, the High Court functions out of a red-painted brick building known as the Attara Kacheri, located opposite the Vidhana Soudha, the seat of the legislature of Karnataka. Four judges of the court, E. S. Venkataramiah, M. N. Venkatachaliah, S. Rajendra Babu and H.L. Dattu, went on to become Chief Justices of India.
Image source: Tahlka Today
