Ranchi

Retired Jharkhand High Court judge Justice Amitav Kumar Gupta was sworn in on Tuesday as the new Lokayukta of Jharkhand.

Santosh Kumar Gangwar administered the oath during a ceremony held at Lok Bhavan in Ranchi. Hemant Soren and several other dignitaries were present at the event.

Justice Gupta had been appointed Lokayukta by the Governor on April 16. The post had remained vacant in the state for the past few years.

Earlier this month, the Jharkhand High Court had asked the state government to speed up the appointment process for the Lokayukta and other constitutional positions.

Born on May 31, 1959, Justice Gupta earned his law degree from the Campus Law Centre and also completed postgraduate studies there.

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He joined the Bihar Superior Judicial Service as an Additional District Judge on June 11, 1997. In 2013, he was elevated as an Additional Judge of the Jharkhand High Court and retired on May 30, 2021.