Cuttack: Odisha Judicial Service officer Dr Akshaya Kumar Mishra and Additional Judge Shatrughana Pujahari took oath as the justices of the Orissa High Court Monday.
The oath of office and secrecy was administered by Chief Justice K.S. Jhaveri at a swearing in ceremony held in the high court premises.
With these two new judges, the total number of judges in the high court has risen to 14.
Mishra who was nominated by the Supreme Court Collegium from among 12 names recommended by the Orissa High Court Collegium was the sole candidate for being a high court judge.
The Orissa High Court Collegium had recommended 12 candidates, including four judicial officers and eight advocates to the apex court collegiums which had declined the names of eleven candidates and recommended Mishra’s name as the judge of the high court October 31.
Satrughana Pujahari who completed his LL.B. from Lala Lajpat Ray College, Sambalpur in 1986, joined in the chamber of Late Hari Prasad Nayak, an eminent lawyer of Sambalpur. In 1996, he joined the chamber of then Justice PK Mohanty and Justice BP Ray of the Orissa High Court and started practicing law in Orissa High Court.
After being selected by the High Court in the Orissa Superior Judicial Service (Senior Branch) Examination, Pujahari joined as Second Additional District & Sessions Judge at Berhampur February 7, 2003. He had also worked as District & Sessions Judge at Jeypore (Koraput), Berhampur (Ganjam), Puri. Besides, he was the chairman of the Sales Tax Tribunal, Member Secretary, Odisha State Legal Services Authority, Cuttack, District & Sessions Judge, Cuttack and principal secretary, Law, of the state government.
He was elevated to the bench of the Orissa High Court as an Additional Judge November 29, 2013.
PNN
