BIOGRAPHY OF CHIEF JUSTICE NV RAMANA

June 27, 2022

Justice Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana was born on an agricultural family on August 27, 1957 in the village of Ponnavaram in the State of Andhra Pradesh. He obtained a degree in Science and Law and became a representative of first-generation lawyer of his family. He was registered as an Advocate at the Bar on February 10, 1983 and served in the High Court of Andhra Pradesh, Central Administrative Tribunal, Andhra Pradesh Administrative Tribunal and the Supreme Court of India. He was Panel Counsel for various Government Agencies including the Indian Railways as well as served as an Advocate General for the State of Andhra Pradesh. He has expertise in Civil and Criminal side as well and dealt with the matters pertaining to Constitution, Labour, Service, Inter-State River Disputes and Elections. He was appointed as permanent Judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court on June 27, 2000 and also functioned as Acting Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh High Court w.e.f. March 10, 2013 to May 20, 2013.

Justice Ramana has been nominated as the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court w.e.f. 02.09.2013 and was re-appointed as a Judge, Supreme Court of India w.e.f. 17.02.2014. He is a Member of General Council of National Law School of India University, Bangalore. He is also Member of General Body and Governing Council and Executive Committee of National Judicial Academy. He is also a Member of National Judicial Academic Council in the National Judicial Academy. In addition, he is also a Member of Governing Council, and Chairman of the Library Committee in Indian Law Institute, Delhi. He is currently a Visitor at Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University, Visakhapatnam and National Law University, Delhi. Justice Ramana is a staunch supporter of judicial reforms, particularly Alternate Dispute Redressal mechanism and encouraging use of technology in Indian Judicial System. He pushes to the implementation of judicial system in regional languages and recommends that appropriate measures be taken for immediate delivery justice for many people especially the weak and oppressed sections of the community. He has keen interest in Philosophy and Literature besides Law.

During his presidency he organized the first Joint Conference in India of judicial officers of all walks of life such as the police, child officers, correctional authorities, social organizations and media authorities on the growing problem of sexual harassment of women.

Even during court hearings, Justice Ramana remains calm and submissive. On several occasions, he reiterated his strong belief that judges should speak only of their own judgments and is commended for making landmark decisions that emphasize constitutional principles and the principles of natural justice.

In a landmark decision, a bench headed by Justice Ramana to Md. Anwar ruled that the defendant had to prove that he was suffering from a serious mental illness or weakness that affected his ability to distinguish right from wrong. In another landmark order, a bench headed by Justice Ramana in April 2019 ruled that post-sentence sentencing, severe mental illness can be a relief when deciding applications for the postponement of the death penalty.

The SC conducted an internal investigation and dismissed the allegations in March 2021. CJI Ramana became Chief Justice on April 24, 2021. He was appointed during a riot in the Supreme Court, becoming the second ‘COVID-19 CJI’. As the Court turns to hearings during the violence, CJI Ramana introduces an app to give the media significant access to the hearing. In his presentation, he emphasized the importance of transparency in judicial systems.

However, during the reign of CJI Ramana until now, there has never been a single bench waiting or a new Constitutional bench convened to listen to important issues. The challenge to constitutionality appears to be on the verge of a seven-judge panel, but the union told the Court it would review the law. A bench headed by CJI Ramana instead issued an order stating that ‘no repressive action’ would be taken in the ongoing cases of sedition while the law was being reviewed.

JUSTICE NV RAMANA WORDS-

As soon as the dark clouds over democracy in our country seem dark, a glorious hope is already surrounding some of them. And the sunshine that reflected this hope has come from the highest court official in the land.

Read the words of the Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, as he delivered the 17th speech of the Justice PD Desai Memorial Trust on June 30.

Concerning the dictatorship in a state of democracy: “It has always been well-known that the mere right to change the emperor, once every few years, does not need to be a guarantee of dictatorship.” Bravo!
Regarding the independence of the Indian judiciary: “In order for the judiciary to examine the powers of the state and the actions, they must have complete freedom. The judiciary cannot be regulated, directly or indirectly, by the legislature or the executive, or the Constitution may be fraudulent. “Bravo!

CONTROVERSIES-

Y.S Jagan Mohan Reddy, CM of Andhra Pradesh, wrote to the chief justice of India in October 2020. In the letter, he accused Justice Ramana and his relatives of corruption in the land grab in Amravati. He also accused him of undermining his government by interfering with the hearings and decisions of the Andhra Pradesh Supreme Court. By sending his letter to the CJI, Jagan Mohan Reddy requested that an investigation be launched into the case and that appropriate action be taken. His letter has been widely criticized by the body of lawyers and judges. The All-India Lawyer’s Union supported the investigation but demanded strong fines from Reddy if the allegations were found to be false.

However, the Supreme Court after conducting an “internal” process regarding the petition filed by the Prime Minister of Andhra Pradesh, declared that the appeal was still dismissed. No reason was given and everything was confidential as the investigation process was inside the house. In line with this, several charges have been filed against Y.S Jagan Mohan Reddy for contempt of court and false accusations by a high court judge. However, these appeals are still pending in the Supreme Court and will be heard.

Image Source: Indianexpress.com

REFERENCE-

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June 27, 2022