Jharkhand high court acting chief justice Prashant Kumar passes away

Acting chief justice of the Jharkhand High Court Prashant Kumar breathed his last after a prolonged illness on Friday. He was 61. Justice Kumar was survived by his wife and two married daughters.

The acting chief justice was suffering from diabetes which had led to kidney failure. “He was surviving on dialysis. On August 28, he was admitted to Bhagwan Mahavir Medica Super Speciality hospital in Ranchi for blood pressure fluctuations. His condition was restored to normal and the doctors were planning to conduct dialysis on Friday. But a massive heart arrest in early morning led to his death, “ said Jharkhand High Court’s protocol officer.

Owing to the death of Kumar, all businesses in high court and subordinate courts across the state have been closed for Friday, a notification issued by the high court said.

The body of Justice Kumar would be brought to the high court’s premises from where it would be taken for cremation at 2 pm.

Justice Kumar became the acting chief justice of the Jharkhand High Court in June this year after transfer of chief justice DN Patel to the Delhi High Court.

Born in 1958, Justice Kumar enrolled as an advocate in October 1980 with the Bihar Bar Council. He practiced in the Patna High Court primarily in constitutional and service matters. He was appointed an additional district judge in May 1991. In 2001, he was promoted as the district Judge.

In January 2009, he was elevated as an additional judge of the Jharkhand High Court. In 2016, Justice Kumar was transferred to the Allahabad High Court. In May this year, he was transferred back to the Jharkhand High Court.