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GUWAHATI, JULY 21: Chief Justice Ashutosh Kumar was formally sworn in as Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court on Monday in a solemn oath-taking ceremony at the Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra in Guwahati. The oath of office was taken by Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya, formally accepting Justice Kumar as the chief of the northeastern region’s top judicial body.
The ceremony was attended by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, senior judges, legal dignitaries, and senior administrative officials, an indication of the importance of the occasion for the state’s legal and judicial system.
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Born on 1st October 1966, Justice Kumar received his initial education at St. Michael’s High School, Patna. He then graduated from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University, before proceeding to the Campus Law Centre, which is also under Delhi University, to earn his law degree.
Justice Kumar started his legal career on July 9, 1991, when he enrolled as an advocate in the Patna High Court. He established himself as a talented practitioner through the years, appearing in many high-profile criminal cases, among which were also cases involving death penalty convicts. He was also a Government Pleader for the State of Bihar for a brief period, further augmenting his experience in public legal service.
Justice Kumar was promoted to the Patna High Court bench on May 15, 2014. He was later moved to the Delhi High Court on January 7, 2015, before he was repatriated to the Patna High Court on November 24 of the same year. Justice Kumar has distinguished his judicial career with fairness, legal acumen, and a firm adherence to constitutional values.
As the newly appointed Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court, Justice Kumar will be in charge of judicial affairs of four northeast states—Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh. The appointment takes place at a juncture when the judiciary has a pivotal role to play in meeting legal challenges and providing justice to this culturally and strategically important region.
