Mehr Chand Mahajan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mehr Chand Mahajan (born December 23, 1889 in Tika Nagrota, Kangra district) was the third Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India. Prior to that he was the Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir during the regin of Maharaja Hari Singh and played a key role in the accession of J&K to India. He was the Indian National Congress nominee on the Radcliff Commission that defined the boundaries of India andPakistan.
Justice Mahajan made his name as an accomplished lawyer, a respected judge, and a very influential politician. As a judge he was incisive and forthright and had many leading judgments to his credit.
Contents |
[edit] Career as a Lawyer
Justice Mahahan started his career as a lawyer in 1913 in Dharmshala, where he spent a year practising. He spent the next four years (1914-1918) furthering his career as a lawyer in Gurdaspur. Subsequently, he established himself as a prominent lawyer in Lahore, practising there for twenty-five illustruous years from 1918 to 1943. During his time there, he was elected as the President of the High Court Bar Association of Lahore for fifteen years from 1938 to 1943.
[edit] Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir
Mehr Chand Mahajan was Prime Minister of J&K during 1947 and played an important role in the accession of the state to India.He was the one who turned down the offer of district Lahore and instead annexed district Gurdaspur to India.
[edit] Chief Justice, Supreme Court of India
Justice Mahajan took office as the third Chief Justice of India on January 4, 1954. He was the head of the India's judicial system for almost a year, until his retirement on December 22, 1954 (mandatory retirement at age 65). Before becoming the Chief Justice, he served as one of the first Judges of the Supreme Court of independent India from October 4 1948 to January 3, 1954.
[edit] Other Positions of Note
- Director, Punjab National Bank, 1933-43
- Pres. D.A.V. College, Managing Committee, 1938-43
- Fellow and Syndic, Punjab University, 1940-47
- Judge, Lahore High Court, 1943
- All India Fruit Products Association Bombay Session, 1945
- Member, R.I.N. Mutiny Commission, 1946
- 1947 Prime Minister, Jammu and Kashmir State 1947-48
- Judge, East Punjab High Court
- Punjab Boundary Commission, 1947
- Syndic, East Punjab University, 1947-50
- Constitutional Adviser to His Highness the Maharaja of Bikaner, 1948
- Hon. Degree of LL.D., Punjab University; 1948
- Member, Fruit Development Board, Punjab
[edit] External links
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ram Chandra Kak |
Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir 1947 – 1948 |
Succeeded by Sheikh Abdullah |
