Chief Justice of India - A statistical survey
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Data Source: Supreme Court of India website ©Bar & Bench ™ Page 1
Chief Justice of India: Facts and figures over the last six decades
Last week, on January 26, 2013 the Supreme Court of India completed 63 years of its existence. Through this period, the Apex Court has seen thirty-eight Chief Justices of India complete their tenure; a tenure which
ranges from barely half a month to over seven years. Bar & Bench analyses some of the facts and figures related to the post of the Chief Justice of the country.
Bombay (7) 19%
Allahabad (5) 14%
Calcutta (4) 11%
Karnataka (3) 8%
Madras (2) 5%
Patna (2) 5%
Gujarat (2) 5%
Orissa (2) 6%
Delhi (2) 6%
Madhya Pradesh (2) 6%
Lahore (1) 3%
Nagpur (1) 3%
Punjab (1) 3%
Jammu & Kashmir (1) 3%
Kerala (1) 3%
Parent High Court of former CJIs
Origins
Only four CJIs have been judges
of a court subordinate to the
High Court, namely KN
Wanchoo, AM Ahmadi, RC
Lahoti and KG Balakrishnan.
Justice SM Sikri has been the
only CJI who was elevated to the
Supreme Court from the post of
Advocate General.
A CJI has an average experience
of 12 years as judge of a High
Court
Sixteen former CJI’s have been
the Chief Justice of a High Court
with tenures (as Chief Justice of
a High Court) ranging from 4
months to 7 years.
The Bombay High Court has
produced 7 CJI’s (the largest
number thus far)
Data Source: Supreme Court of India website ©Bar & Bench ™ Page 2
650
908
353 405
1034
1584
774
106 286 319
1026
36
825
1374
389
2697
527
911
182 282
426
18
341
86
378
882
299 265
1118
186 186 41
500
30
518 439
1214
871 650
531
1439
1791
2501
1763
2571
3299
3072 3166
3373
4084
2545
1364
1877 2004
4378
3226
3756
2470
2751
2086
1687 1871
2199 2141
2852 3026
2518
3410
2429 2615
2099
2411
2001 2104
2411 2337
SC Judge & CJI Tenure (1950-2013)
Tenure as CJI (Days) Tenure as SC Judge (Days)
The average tenure of a CJI as a judge of the Supreme Court
(excluding time spent as CJI) is 2,442 days
Justice MP Sastri had the shortest tenure as a Supreme
Court judge (531 days) while Justice PN Bhagwati remained
as a judge in the Apex Court for 4,378 days
The average term of a CJI is 591 days
Justice KN Singh had the shortest tenure as Chief
Justice of India (18 days) while Justice YV Chandrachud
was CJI for 2,697 days, the longest tenure thus far.
Two CJIs have died in harness namely the
country’s first CJI, Justice HJ Kania and its 20th
CJI, Justice Sabyasachi Mukherjee
Three CJI’s have resigned from their posts,
namely Justices BK Mukherjea, K Subba Rao,
and RS Pathak
Data Source: Supreme Court of India website ©Bar & Bench ™ Page 3
61 60
58
55 54
56 55 55 55
52 53
55 56
58
52 52 53
54 55
56
59 59 59 57
56 56 55 55 55
57 57 57 58 58 58 58
56
62 63
62 61
59
63 64
62 63
61 63
61 59
63
57
63 61
64
61 63
64 63
64 62 62
64 64
61
64 64 64 63
64 63 63
62 62
Ages of former CJI's (1950-2013
Age at time of joining SC Age at time of appointment as CJI
The average age of a CJI when he is elevated to the
Supreme Court is 56 years
Justice M Hidayatullah was 52 years when he was elevated
to the Supreme Court (the youngest of all CJI’s) while
Justice M Patanjali Sastri was 61 years old (the oldest of all
CJI’s)
The average age of a CJI when he is appointed as Chief
Justice of India is 62 years.
Justice YV Chandrachud was just 57 years old when he
became the CJI on July 11, 1985 while the oldest CJI was
Justice KN Singh who was 64 years and 11 months at the
time of becoming CJI.
Data Source: Supreme Court of India website ©Bar & Bench ™ Page 4
Table of Former Chief Justices of India
Name Parent High Court Tenure as High
Court judges *
Elevated to the
Supreme Court
Age at time of
elevation to SC
Tenure as SC Judge (Days
Appointed as Chief
Justice of India
Age at time
of CJI
Retired on Period as CJI
1. H.J. Kania Bombay 13 years 26/01/1950 NA** 650 26/01/1950 NA 06/11/1951
(Died in
harness)
650 days
2. M.P. Sastri Madras 8 years 26/01/1950 61 years 531 07/11/1951 62 years 03/01/1954 908 days
3. M.C. Mahajan Lahore 5 years 26/01/1950
60 years 1,439 04/01/1954 63 years 22/12/1954
353 days
4. B.K. Mukherjea Calcutta 12 years 26/01/1950 58 years 1,791 23/12/1954 62 years 31/01/1956
(Resigned)
405 days
5. SR Das Calcutta 8 years 26/01/1950 55 years 2,501 01/02/1956 61 years 30/09/1959 1,034 days
6. BP Sinha Patna 11 years 03/12/1954 54 years
1,763 01/10/1959 59 years 31/01/1964 1,584 days
7. P.B.
Gajendragadkar
Bombay 12 years 17/01/1957 56 years 2.571 01/02/1964 63 years 15/03/1966 774 days
8. A.K. Sarkar Calcutta 8 years 04/03/1957 55 years 3,299 16/03/1966 64 years 29/06/1966 106 days
9. K Subba Rao Madras 10 years 31/01/1958 55 years 3,072 30/06/1966 62 years 11/04/1967
(Resigned)
286 days
10. K.N. Wanchoo Allahabad 11 years 11/08/1958 55 years 3,166 12/04/1967 63 years 24/02/1968 319 days
11. M. Hidayatullah Nagpur 12 years 01/12/1958 52 years 3,379 25/02/1968 61 years 16/12/1970 1,026 days
12. J.C. Shah Bombay Not available 12/10/1959 53 years 4,084 17/12/1970 63 years 21/01/1971 36 days
13. S.M. Sikri Former Advocate
General
NA 03/02/1964 55 years 2,545 22/01/1971 61 years 25/04/1973 825 days
14. A.N. Ray Calcutta NA 01/08/1969 56 years 1,364 26/04/1973 59 years 28/01/1977 1,374 days
15. M.H. Beg Allahabad 8 years 10/12/1971 58 years 1,877 29/01/1977 63 years 21/02/1978 389 days
Data Source: Supreme Court of India website ©Bar & Bench ™ Page 5
Name Parent High Court Tenure as High
Court judges *
Elevated to the
Supreme Court
Age at time of
elevation to SC
Tenure as SC Judge (Days)
Appointed as Chief
Justice of India
Age at time
of CJI
Retired on Period as CJI
16. Y.V. Chandrachud Bombay 11 years 28/08/1972 52 years 2,004 22/02/1978 57 years 11/07/1985 2697 days
17. P.N. Bhagwati Gujarat 13 years 17/07/1973 52 years 4,378 12/07/1985 63 years 20/12/1986 527 days
18. R.S. Pathak Allahabad 16 years 20/02/1978 53 years 3,226 21/12/1986 61 years 18/06/1989
(Resigned)
911 days
19. E.S.
Venkataramiah
Karnataka 9 years 08/03/1979 54 years 3,756 19/06/1989 64 years 17/12/1989 182 days
20. Sabyasachi
Mukherjee
Calcutta 15 years 15/03/1983 55 years 2,470 18/12/1989 61 years 25/09/1990
(Died in
harness)
282 days
21. Ranganath Misra Orissa 12 years 15/03/1983 56 years 2,751 25/09/1990 63 years 24/11/1991 426 days
22. K.N. Singh Allahabad 16 years 10/03/1986 59 years 2,086 25/11/1991 64 years 12/12/1991 18 days
23. M.H. Kania Bombay 18 years 01/05/1987 59 years 1,687 13/12/1991 63 years 17/11/1992 341 days
24. L.M. Sharma Patna 14 years 05/10/1987 59 years 1,871 18/11/1992 64 years 11/02/1993 86 days
25. M.N.
Venkatachaliah
Karnataka 12 years 05/10/1987 57 years 2,199 12/02/1993 62 years 24/10/1994 378 days
26. A.M. Ahmadi Gujarat HC 12 years 14/12/1988 56 years 2,141 25/10/1994 62 years 24/03/1997 882 days
27. J.S. Verma Madhya Pradesh 17 years 03/06/1989 56 years 2,852 25/03/1997 64 years 17/01/1998 299 days
28. M.M. Punchhi Punjab 10 years 06/10/1989 55 years 3,026 18/01/1998 64 years 09/10/1998 265 days
29. A.S. Anand Jammu & Kashmir 16 years 18/11/1991 55 years 2,518 10/10/1998 61 years 31/10/2001 1,118 days
30. S.P. Bharucha Bombay 15 years 01/07/1992 55 years 3,410 01/11/2001 64 years 05/05/2002 186 days
31. B.N. Kirpal Delhi 16 years 11/09/1995 57 years 2,429 06/05/2002 64 years 07/11/2002 186 days
Data Source: Supreme Court of India website ©Bar & Bench ™ Page 6
Name Parent High Court Tenure as High
Court judges *
Elevated to the
Supreme Court
Age at time of
elevation to SC
Tenure as SC Judge (Days)
Appointed as Chief
Justice of India
Age at time
of CJI
Retired on Period as CJI
32. G.B. Pattanaik Orissa 12 years 11/09/1995 57 years 2,615 08/11/2002 64 years 18/12/2002 41 days
33. V.N. Khare Allahabad 14 years 21/03/1997 57 years 2,099 19/12/2002 63 years 01/05/2004 500 days
34. S. Rajendra Babu Karnataka 8 years 25/09/1997 58 years 2,411 02/05/2004 64 years 31/05/2004 30 days
35. R.C. Lahoti Madhya Pradesh 10 years 09/12/1998 58 years 2,001 01/06/2004 63 years 31/10/2005 518 days
36. Y.K. Sabharwal Delhi 14 years 28/01/2000 58 years 2,104 01/11/2005 63 years 13/01/2007 439 days
37. K.G. Balakrishnan Kerala 15 years 08/06/2000 55 years 2,411 14/01/2007 62 years 11/05/2010 1,214 days
38. S.H. Kapadia Bombay 12 years 18/12/2003 56 years 2,377 12/05/2010 62 years 28/09/2012 871 days
* Includes Time as Additional Judge, Permanent Judge and Chief Justice of High
Court (s) where such information is available
** Data unavailable