The Supreme Court of India is the highest judicial and appellate Court under the Constitution of India. The Chief Justice of India (CJI) is the head of the judiciary of India and the Supreme Court of India. The CJI also head the administrative functions. Since 26th January 1950, 46 people have served as the CJI, H J Kania being the first one.
Here’s a look at the CJI and their famous judgements form the current decade (2010 – present)
Konakuppakatil Gopinathan Balakrishnan – 37th CJI
In Service – 14 January 2007 – 12 May 2010
Renowned For
- In a Kerala High Court judgement he asked the election commission to debar the political parties which impose hartals on the public causing them suffering.
- In 2010, he passed a judgement prohibiting narco-analysis in interrogations.
Sarosh Homi Kapadia – 38th CJI
In Service — 12 May 2010 – 28 September 2012
Renowned For
- Quashing of the appointment of Central Vigilance Commissioner P J Thomas in 2011
- ·Vodafone judgment — Vodafone was embroiled in a $2.5 billion tax dispute with the Indian Income Tax Department over its purchase of Hutchison Essar Telecom Services.
Altamas Kabir – 39th CJI
In Service — 29 September 2012 – 18 July 2013
Renowned For
- In 2011 he ruled that female relatives of a husband can also be booked under the Domestic Violence Act.
- He also presided over the contempt case against prominent advocate Prashant Bhushanafter he alleged that half out of the last 16 CJIs had been corrupt.
Palanisamy Sathasivam — 40th CJI
In Service –19 July 2013 – 26 April 2014
Renowned For
- The Reliance Gas Judgment wherein he emphasised the use of natural resources through public sector undertakings.
- In January 2014, a three-judge panel headed by him commuted sentences of 15 death-row convicts.
Rajendra Mal Lodha — 41st CJI
In Service — 27 April 2014 – 27 September 2014
Renowned For
- He headed the committee that suspended the owners of Rajasthan Royalsand Chennai Super Kings from the Indian Premier League cricket tournament for a period of two years for alleged involvement in betting.
Handyala Lakshminarayanaswamy Dattu- 42nd CJI
In Service – 28 September 2014 — 2 December 2015
Renowned For
- He gave a decision justifying the permanent job status for all temporary contract jobs employees working in the High Court of Chhattisgarh.
Tirath Singh Thakur – 43rd CJI
In Service — 3 December 2015 -3 January 2017
Renowned For
- He lamented the inaction by the government in increasing the number of judges.
Jagdish Singh Khehar – 44th CJI
In Service — 4 January 2017 – 27 August 2017
Renowned For
- He gave a significant verdict holding that the principal of ‘equal pay for equal work’ has to be made applicable to those engaged as daily wagers, casual and contractual employees who perform the same duties as the regulars.
- He was also a part of the bench which sent SaharaChief to jail while hearing the matter relating to the refund of money invested by people in his two companies.
Dipak Misra – 45th CJI
In Service — 28 August 2017 – 2 October 2018
Renowned For
- A three judge bench led by him upheld the death sentence awarded to the four convicts of the Nirbhaya rape case
- It was a bench of the Supreme Court headed by Justice Misra that settled the 120 year old dispute over the Cauvery river
- Presiding over a Constitution Bench, on Section 377 IPC ( Homosexuality) he struck it down partially citing it to be irrational, indefensible and manifestly arbitrary.
Ranjan Gogoi – 46th CJI
In Service — 3 October 2018 – Incumbent (till 17 November 2019)
Renowned For
- A 3 judge bench headed by CJI held the divestment of the CBI Director Alok Verma without authorisation by Selection Panel was illegal and reinstated him.
- In 2018, a bench headed by the CJI held that a member of a SC/ST community from one state cannot claim benefit of reservation in government jobs or admissions in one State, if their caste is not notified there.
