Former CJI Ramesh Chandra Lahoti passed away on Wednesday at the age of 81. He was the 35th Chief Justice of India.
He was born on November 1, 1940. He joined the Bar in Guna district in 1960 and enrolled as an advocate in 1962.
In April 1977, Justice Lahoti was recruited directly from the Bar to the State higher judicial service and was appointed District and Sessions Judge.
In May 1978, he resigned from the position and got back to his law practice again.
He was appointed as additional judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on May 3, 1988 and became a permanent judge on August 4, 1989. Justice Lahoti was transferred to Delhi High Court in February 1994.
He was elevated as a Supreme Court judge on December 9, 1998. Justice Lahoti was appointed as CJI on June 1, 2004 and became 35th Chief Justice of India.
He retired on November 1, 2005. He served one of the longest terms as Chief Justice as he retired from office after 17 months.
In 2006, then Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh honored him with the National Law Day Award for his unique contribution in the field of administration of justice making it more friendly to the people at large.
His interests include legal aid services, alternate dispute resolution system, educational reforms, and propagating Indian culture and heritage. He was appointed as an arbitrator in a Rs 20,000 crore high-profile tax dispute case with telecom major Vodafone.
Justice Lahoti was on the Advisory Board of Indian International Model United Nations and was also the chairperson of Advisory Board of the Faculty of Law at Manav Rachna University. Justice Lahoti was also an independent director on the board of directors of the Press Trust of India.
