It was a red-letter day for Srikanth ‘Sri’ Srinivasan, 46, as he was formally sworn in as judge for the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.His moment of glory was witnessed by his family and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s family. He was sworn-in and with his hand placed on the Bhagavad Gita held by his mother Saroja Srinivasan.
This is the second most powerful court in the US after the Supreme Court and he was sworn in by former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor at the Ceremonial Courtroom on the E Barrett Prettyman US Courthouse.
Within hours of the death of Scalia at a ranch in Texas, the name of Chandigarh-born Sri Srinivasan popped up as the top contender to the post.
Many call as a stepping stone to the Supreme Court.
He is not only considered as a favourite of Obama, who has called him as a trailblazer, but also his nomination to the Court of Appeals was confirmed by a record 97-0 votes, which is an achievement given the bitter political divide in the US Senate.
(with inputs from agencies)
