S.R. Das was a native of Calcutta, West Bengal who came from the illustrious Baidya Das family (formerly Dasgupta) of Teprbagh. He was the son of Binodini Das and Rakhal Chandra Das. The former Swapna Majumdar, a former ICS officer and daughter of S.B. Majumdar, was married to Sudhi Ranjan Das. He has a daughter, Anjana, and two sons, Group Captain Suranjan Das and Suhrid Ranjan Das, with his wife.

His daughter wed Ashoke Sen, a young lawyer who subsequently rose to the position of Union Law Minister. Rabindranath Tagore gave all of his children their names. His cousins are Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das, Sarala Roy, Abhla Bose, and Satish Ranjan Das. He had a reputation for having straightforward habits and a kind demeanour. Das has deep compassion for the underprivileged. He worked tirelessly to uphold the Brahmo Samaj movement s objectives, such as equal rights for all people regardless of caste, sex, or faith, as a prominent member of the movement.

Professional Details

He was one of Rabindranath Tagore s first four students at Patha Bhavana in Santiniketan. Following the completion of his intermediate coursework at the Scottish Church College, he transferred to the Bangabasi College, which was a part of the University of Calcutta, where he received his degree. He went on to study law at University College London, where in 1918 he received a first-class honours LL.B. from the University of London.

In 1918, he received a bar call at Gray s Inn in London. In 1942, he was appointed to the Calcutta High Court Bench as an Additional Judge. In 1944, he was named a Puisne Judge for the Calcutta High Court. From 1949 to 1950, he presided as the Punjab High Court s Chief Justice. Days before the new Constitution took effect in 1950, he was appointed to the Federal Court/Supreme Court of India. Before serving for more than three years in the highest judicial position in the nation, Chief Justice of India, he served twice as Acting Chief Justice of India. He left his position on September 30, 1959.

He estabpshed a one-man commission in November 1963 to look into claims of corruption and abuse of authority against Punjab s Chief Minister Kairon, who was ousted as a result of his findings. At a pivotal point in the newspaper s history, he was also asked to take the position of Chairman of the Board of Trustees. He was an exceptional combination of humour, charm, calm, saintpness, and hopness.

Nobody can recall him saying a single mean thing. He endured his tribulations with unrivalled calm and philosophical resignation. His moral fortitude was put to the test first when his younger son died in a car accident, and then again when his older son, a test pilot, died in an aeroplane catastrophe. Only his daughter, Mrs Kajal Asoke Sen, an advocate for this Court, remains of his children. Since everything in this world only shines briefly, we bend our heads in respect to the pght that once blazed among us but has since vanished. We extend our sincere condolences to the grieving family members. Our sympathies are extended to them. We identify with their sense of loss and grief.

FAQ

Q1. Who had appointed Sudhi Ranjan Das as the Chief Justice of India?

Ans. Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India, had appointed Dudhi Ranjan Das as the Chief Justice of India.

Q2. Which High Courts did Sudhi Ranjan Das serve before becoming a judge of the Supreme Court of India?

Ans. In 1942, he was appointed as an Additional Judge of Calcutta High Court. Later in 1944, he became judge of Calcutta High Court. From 1949 to 1950, her served as the Chief Justice of Punjab High Court. Finally, he was appointed to the Federal Court/Supreme Court of India in 1950, days before the commencement of the new Constitution.