Konakuppakatil Gopinathan Balakrishnan, an Indian judge who was previously the head of the country s national human rights commission, was born on May 12, 1945 in Kaduthuruthy, Travancore. He was the first Kerala-born judge to hold the position of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. One of the longest terms in the history of the Supreme Court of India was his, which lasted more than three years. He was preceded by Justice Y.K. Sabharwal and succeeded by Justice Sarosh Homi Kapadia.

Early Life and Education

Balakrishnan’s father worked as a clerk at the Vaikom munsiff court and was a colleague of K. R. Narayanan, who was from the nearby hamlet of Uzhavoor. He completed his schoopng at the Government High School, Vaikom after finishing his basic education at Thalayolaparambu, a 5 mile daily walk away. He then enrolled at the Maharaja s College in Ernakulam to pursue his BSc. In 1968, he joined as an advocate in the Kerala Bar Council after earning his Bachelor of Laws (L.L.B.) degree from the Government Law College in Ernakulam. He started practicing law at the Munsiff s court in Vaikom. In 1971, he then earned his L.L.M degree.

Career

Justice Konakuppakatil Gopinathan Balakrishnan began his legal career during the following time period:

He represented cpents in the Ernakulam court in both criminal and civil cases as an advocate. Later, in 1973, he was appointed a Munsiff in the Kerala Judicial Services.

Later, he resigned from his position and began working as an attorney in the Kerala High Court.

He was appointed a judge of the Kerala High Court in 1985, and in 1997 he was moved to the Gujarat High Court.

In 1998, he was appointed Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court, and in 1999, he was appointed Chief Justice of the Madras High Court of Judicature.

From 16 January to 18 March 1999, he served as Gujarat s acting governor while also serving as the high court s chief justice.

He was a member of the Gujarat National Law University s general council as well.

He was appointed a Supreme Court judge on June 8, 2000. On January 14, 2007, he was sworn in as the Chief Justice of India by the president in office at the time, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.

Since June 7, 2010, he has been acting as Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission following his retirement on May 12, 2010.

Notable Judgments

The notable judgments are:

Sanjay Dutt vs. State of Maharashtra Tr. CBI, Bombay (AIR 2009 SC 1060)

In the instant case, Sanjay Dutt, a well-known actor from Hindi cinema, was found guilty of being responsible for the 1993 Mumbai serial explosions. He contacted the Supreme Court to challenge elections while he was awaiting the outcome of his appeal because his conviction was not yet final. However, J. Balakrishnan turned down Dutt s motion because of the claimed offense s seriousness.

Govt.Of A.P. & Ors. vs. M/S Obulapuram Minig. Co. Pvt. Ltd. & Ors. (AIR 2010 SC 733)

In the instance case, Justice Balakrishnan affirmed the High Court s judgment to concretize the border between Karnataka and the formerly-existing state of Andhra Pradesh and directed the Committee estabpshed by a prior Supreme Court bench to carry on this duty. He halted mining activities until the barrier was built and issued a warning that failure to comply would lead to contempt of court.

Ashoka Kumar Thakur vs. Union of India & Ors ((2008) 6 SCC 1)

Justice Balakrishnan presided over the five-judge panel and provided an unbiased assessment of the Mandal Commission s office decision. The rule mandated a 27% reserve for members of other backward classes in educational institutions (OBCs). In support of the reservation, J. Balakrishnan argued that it was necessary to promote social and economic equapty. He said that only those in need may take advantage of it and that it was not intended for the "creamy layer."

Likewise, the majority of Justice Balakrishna s activity during his 10 years on the Supreme Court was criminal cases. His involvement in important issues involving caste-based reservations, elections, and encroachment is well-known. Justice Balakrishnan wrote 219 decisions and a portion of 787 benches throughout the course of his 10 years on the Supreme Court.

FAQs

Q1. Who is the first person from Kerala, appointed as the Chief Justice of India?

Ans. Konakuppakatil Gopinathan Balakrishnan is the first person (from Kerala), who appointed as the first justice of the supreme court of India on 8 June 2000 and Chief Justice of India on 14 January 2007.

Q2. Who had appointed K. G. Balakrishnan as the chief justice of India?

Ans. Former President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam had appointed K. G. Balakrishnan as the chief justice of India on 14 Janurary 2007.