Today, the Supreme Court Collegium put forth a recommendation for the appointment of Justice Subhasis Talapatra, the senior-most judge from the Tripura High Court, as Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court.

A vacancy in the office of the Chief Justice of the High Court of Orissa will arise in August 2023, consequent upon the retirement of CJ S Muralidhar.

Justice Talapatra was elevated as a Judge of the Gauhati High Court on 15 November 2011 and on the establishment of a separate High Court for the State of Tripura in 2013, he opted for the High Court of Tripura as his parent High Court. He has been functioning, on transfer, in the High Court of Orissa since 10 June 2022.

Besides, the Collegium has also recommended the appointment of Chief Justices for six other High Courts – Kerala, Manipur, Andhra Pradesh, Bombay, Telangana, and Gujarat.

Taking into account the vast experience of Justice Talapatra, the collegium headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud passed a resolution recommending his name as the CJ of Orissa HC on Wednesday that reads thus:

“He has acquired considerable experience of dispensing justice in two High Courts. While considering his name, the Collegium has taken into consideration the fact that since its inception in 2013, the High Court of 2 Tripura till date has not got representation among the Chief Justices of the High Courts. Having regard to all relevant factors, the Collegium is of the considered view that Mr. Justice Subhasis Talapatra is fit and suitable in all respects for being appointed as Chief Justice of the High Court of Orissa.”

Justice Subhasis Talapatra was born on October 4, 1961, in Udaipur, Tripura. He did his graduation in Arts and Law from the University of Calcutta. He enrolled with the Bar Council of Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh on September 12, 1990. Practiced mainly at Agartala Bench of Gauhati High Court and appeared in a catena of constitutional, civil, and criminal matters.