Justice Tinlianthang Vaiphei of Guwahati High Court will be the new Chief Justice of High Court of Tripura. He will replace incumbent Chief Justice Deepak Kumar Gupta who held the position since a separate High Court for the State was created in March 2013.
The Tripura government sources on Tuesday said that Justice Gupta will assume the office of Chief Justice of the Chhattisgarh High Court. He will soon leave Tripura for Bilaspur, judicial headquarters of the Chhattisgarh State.
Mr. Tinlianthang Vaiphei had been senior-most judge after Chief Justice of the Guwahati High Court. Born in March 1956 he would be the first judicial officer from Mizoram to be elevated to the position of Chief Justice.
Tripura, Manipur and Meghalaya have had separate High Courts from 2013 after the Parliament amended North East Areas (Re-organisation) Act of 1971.
Earlier the States were under judicature of the Guwahati High Court which was common for all the northeastern States.
Sources said that the President Pranab Mukherjee will shortly issue an appointment order for both the judges. Preparation for their oath taking ceremonies are being made.
Justice Deepak Kumar Gupta will be remembered for some landmark judgments he delivered during his tenure in Tripura. He presided over benches that disqualified recruitment of 10,300 government school teachers for serious loopholes; regulation in passenger transport system; ordered retrial of 35 years old murder of Congress MLA Parimal Saha and release of judicial enquiry commission report into assassination of State’s Health Minister Bimal Sinha.
Tripura Bar Council and Tripura Bar Association on Saturday held a farewell for Justice Gupta. The State government also arranged a function to honour the outgoing Chief Justice.
