| Y. V. Chandrachud | |
|---|---|
| Chief Justice of India | |
| In office 1978–1985 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | July 12, 1920 Pune, Maharashtra |
| Died | July 14, 2008 Mumbai, Maharashtra |
| Spouse(s) | Prabha |
The Honourable Justice Yeshwant Vishnu Chandrachud (Marathi: यशवंत विष्णू चंद्रचूड) (12 July 1920 – 14 July 2008) served as the Chief Justice of India from February 22, 1978 to the day he retired on July 11, 1985. Born in Pune in the state of Maharashtra, he was first appointed Judge to the Supreme Court of India on August 28, 1972 and is the longest serving Chief Justice in India's history at 7 years and 4 months. His nickname was "Iron-hands" after his well regarded unwillingness to let anything slip past him.
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In one of the most notable cases in Indian constitutional history, during the Indian Emergency (1975-1977) of Indira Gandhi, a bench constituted of the five most senior judges of the Supreme court of India heard the famous Habeas Corpus case, where detenues under the restrictive Maintenance of Internal Security Act had argued that the Right to Life and Liberty (article 21 in the Indian constitution) could not be suspended even during periods of national emergency.
Despite widespread high court support for Habeas Corpus, Justice Chandrachud went along with Justices A.N. Ray, P.N. Bhagwati, and M.H. Beg, to reject this position[1], stating that
The only dissenting opinion was from Justice H. R. Khanna, who has been widely acclaimed for this act.
In Shah Bano case, the bench headed by Chief Justice Chandrachud took a secular stand. It invoked a provision in The Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 which is a secular legislation to order maintenance compensation to the divorced Muslim woman.
This case caused the Rajiv Gandhi government, with its absolute majority, to pass the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986 which diluted the secular judgment of the Supreme Court.
Bombay Slum Dwellers case ( Olga Tellis v. Bombay Municipal Corporation )is another landmark case decided by him.
Chandrachud was educated at Nutan Marathi Vidyalaya high school, Elphinstone College and the ILS Law College in Pune.[2] Justice Y.V. Chandrachud died on 14 July 2008 shortly after he was admitted to the Bombay Hospital. He is survived by his wife, Prabha, his son, the sitting Judge of the Bombay High Court Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud [1], and his daughter, Nirmala.
| Legal offices | ||
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| Preceded by Mirza Hameedullah Beg |
Chief Justice of India 22 February 1978 – 11 July 1985 |
Succeeded by P. N. Bhagwati |