NEW DELHI: After serving a tenure of over 16 months, Chief Justice of India NV Ramana who was the 48th CJI demitted office on August 26, 2022. Justice Ramana who was appointed as SC judge on February 17, 2014 headed the bench that passed a landmark order against the Internet ban in Kashmir. A bench headed by him also passed a verdict where it was observed that restrictions in UAPA would not bar constitutional courts from granting bail if there were violations of fundamental rights due to delay in trial.
He was part of 5-judge bench that held that the office of CJI would come under the purview of the RTI Act. After his appointment as the CJI on April 25, 2021, he portrayed a strict approach in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case that resulted in the arrest of Union Minister Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish Mishra and also halted the demolition drive post communal riots in Jahangirpuri.
The bench headed by him played an imperative role in chalking the path of a rift between Maha Vikas Aghadi Government’s Eknath Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray. On July 11, he asked Maharashtra Assembly Speaker to not take any action on the disqualification notices issued to Shiv Sena MLAs. On August 23, he referred to 5-judge bench pleas raising several constitutional questions related to defection, merger and disqualification. He also asked EC to not pass any order on the Shinde faction’s plea that it be considered the real Shiv Sena and granted the party’s poll symbol.
Ex-CJI also put on hold the sedition law and had asked the Central and State governments Section 124A of IPC which criminalises the offence of sedition. Ramana, who always raised concerns on prolonged incarceration under trials, had also taken suo moto cognisance of the delay in the release of prisoners from Agra prison after bail. His bench also gave the go-ahead for the implementation of a system for electronic transmission of its orders by launching a digital platform, “Fast and Secured Transmission of Electronic Records”.
A day before his retirement, a bench led by him sought the Centre & Gujarat government’s response in a plea challenging remission granted to convicts in the Bilkis Bano case. He also perused reports of the committees that were constituted by his bench to probe into the issue of Pegasus and PM security lapse. Ex-CJI had also sought centre’s response in a plea seeking a review of the judgement that had upheld various provisions of PMLA. On his last working day, his bench referred the freebies ban matter to 3 judge bench and junked plea related to UP CM Yogi Adityanath in 2007 hate speech case.
KEY JUDGMENTS ON LAST DAY OF JUSTICE RAMANA
A day before his retirement, a bench led by him sought Centre & Gujarat government’s response in plea challenging remission granted to convicts in Bilkis Bano case. He also perused reports of the committees that were constituted by his bench to probe into issue of Pegasus and PM security lapse. Ex-CJI had also sought centre’s response in plea seeking review of the judgement that had upheld various provisions of PMLA.