Kolkata: The 48-year-old Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) of Barasat court (North 24-Parganas), Soumendra Nath Roy, died of multiple organ failure at a private hospital in the city on Tuesday. He had been infected with Covid initially but later tested negative.
Roy was recently promoted to the Fast Track Court but could not assume office as he had fallen victim to Covid and eventually succumbed to his ailments. He had various comorbid issues. It was learnt from the sources that his wife, who is a lawyer at Kolkata High Court, first contracted the virus. Couple's only daughter, who studies in class XI, was also infected with the virus. All of them were admitted to Charnock Hospital. His wife and daughter recovered. He is the second in-service judicial officer to die following Covid.
Roy was admitted to Charnock on April 22 and he was put under ventilation support the very next day. He had various comorbidities like diabetes, high-blood pressure and thyroid issues which aggravated his health condition.
He was shifted to Medica Superspecialty Hospital on May 5 as he showed no significant improvement. His health deteriorated further since Monday. However, he tested negative for Covid on Sunday. As a result the body was handed over to his family.
"He was posted as a Sub-judge and later transferred to the CJM court. He was promoted to Track Court recently. He was a very promising judge and had a good sense of humour. He used to maintain cordial relations with the Bar Association. He knew almost all lawyers by their names. On April 16, he held a meeting with the Bar Association to discuss what steps could be taken to tackle Covid so that normal functioning of the court can be maintained. We express our condolences to the bereaved family," said Suhas Bose, president of District Bar Association.
In another development, Nawang Thendup Sherpa, a joint BDO in Malda died at a private hospital in Siliguri following Covid on Monday morning.
A resident of Darjeeling, Sherpa was admitted to the hospital after he had tested positive for Covid. His report came negative on Saturday but the hospital did not release him as he had various other complications.