In a much-needed boost to the overburdened Odisha judiciary, the Supreme Court Collegium on Monday approved the appointment of four senior advocates as judges of the High Court of Orissa.
The Collegium, in its meeting held on 18 August 2026, cleared the names of:
- Sasmita Tripathy
- Aditya Narayan Das
- Rajjeet Roy
- Gautam Misra
All four are practising advocates from the Orissa High Court Bar.
The development assumes special significance given the acute shortage of judges in the High Court. While the sanctioned strength stands at 33, the court currently functions with only 17 judges, including the Chief Justice. Two of the sitting judges have already been recommended for transfer to other High Courts, further deepening the vacancy crisis.
Legal circles in Odisha have long expressed concern that the High Court of Orissa has never operated at full sanctioned strength in its history. The latest recommendations are expected to ease the mounting backlog of cases once the Central Government issues the formal notification and the new judges take oath.
The appointments mark another step in the Collegium’s ongoing efforts to strengthen High Courts across the country through elevation of experienced members of the Bar.
