Justice Markandey Katju

On 19 September 2011, Justice Markandey Katju has retired as a judge of Supreme Court of India. Katju was appointed as a judge of the Allahabad High Court in 1991, as its Acting Chief Justice in August 2004, as the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court in November 2004, and as the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court in October 2005. He was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court of India in April 2006. His judgments are considered bold, insightful and occasionally controversial.

Coming from the renowned Katju family of Allahabad, he was a first divisioner throughout his academic career. Justice Katju was a staunch advocate of judicial restraint. He was against public interest litigations which invited judiciary to foray into the domains of executive and legislature. But, he did not flinch in converting innocuous petitions into PILs and kept giving directions to the chief secretaries.

Month: Current Affairs - November, 2011