Justice Rajesh Bindal to perform duties of the office of the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court from 29th April

Justice Rajesh Bindal

New Delhi:

The President of India in exercise of the powers conferred by Article 223 of the Constitution of India, appointed Shri Justice Rajesh Bindal, senior-most Judge of Calcutta High Court, to perform the duties of the office of the Chief Justice of that High Court with effect from 29th April, 2021 following the retirement of Shri Justice Thottathil Bhaskaran Nair Radhakrishnan, Chief Justice, Calcutta High Court. A notification in this regard has been issued by Department of Justice, Ministry of Law & Justice today.

Justice Rajesh Bindal was born on 16th April, 1961 at Ambala City in the State of Haryana (India).Shri Justice Rajesh Bindal, B.Com., LL.B, enrolled as an Advocate on September 14, 1985. He practised in the Punjab and Haryana High Court and Central Administrative Tribunal, in Taxation, Constitutional, Civil and Service cases. His field of specialization was Taxation matters. He worked as Standing Counsel for I.T Department, various Central and State Government organisations. He was appointed as a Permanent Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on March 22, 2006. He was transferred to Common High Court for Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Union territory of Ladakh on 19.11.2018. He was appointed as Acting Chief Justice of Common High Court for Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Union territory of Ladakh on 09.12.2020. He was transferred to Calcutta High Court on 05.01.2021.

He remained Chairman of the Committee constituted pursuant to Resolution No. 7 adopted in the Chief Justices’ Conference, 2016 for framing Draft Rules for Electronic Evidence and submitted his report to Hon’ble the Supreme Court in November 2018. Being Chairman of a multi-member Committee constituted by Ministry of Women and Child Development to study Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction Bill, 2016, he submitted report accompanied by the recommendations and draft of the Protection of Children (Inter-Country Removal and Retention) Bill, 2018 to the Ministry in April 2018. (https://wcd.nic.in/) During his tenure in Punjab and Haryana High Court, he disposed of around 80,000 cases. Before his transfer to High Court of Jammu and Kashmir, he was heading various Committees including Computer Committee, Arrears Committee. On transfer to High Court of Jammu and Kashmir, he took oath of office on 19th November, 2018. Before his transfer to High Court at Calcutta he was the Chairman of the Finance Committee, Building and Infrastructure Committee, Information Technology Committee, State Court Management Systems Committee in the High Court and also Chairman of J&K State Legal Service Authority. He was also the Chairman of the Committee constituted for conducting assessment for optimal use of technology by NALSA and the State Legal Services Authorities including use of Artificial Intelligence. He was also Member of the Committee constituted to go into the existing framework of Lok Adalats and Mediation and to suggest ways for enhancing operational efficiency and plugging gaps, if any, or better application of these ADR mechanisms for weaker sections of the society. Appointed as Acting Chief Justice of the Common High Court for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh vide Notification No. K.11019/07/2020-US.II dated 8th December,2020. Transferred as a Judge of the High Court at Calcutta vide Notification No. K. 13015/06/2020-US.I dated 31st December,2020 and was sworn in as a Judge of the High Court at Calcutta on January 5, 2021.