Sharad Arvind Bobde: Former Chief Justice of India

Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde was born on April 24th, 1956. He served as the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s as Chief Justice. Additionally, he holds the position of Chancellor of the Maharashtra National Law Universities in Mumbai and Nagpur. He served on the Indian Supreme Court for eight years before his retirement on April 23, 2021. He was preceded by Ranjan Gogoi and succeeded by N. V. Ramana on April 24, 2021.

Early Life and Education

Bobde was born in Nagpur. Ramachandra Pant Bobde (his great-grand father), a Deshastha Rigvedi Brahmin, was a well-known attorney in Chandrapur (formerly Chanda) between 1880 and 1900. The family afterwards moved to Nagpur. Shrinivas Ramachandra Bobde, his grandpa, was also a lawyer. Arvind Shrinivas Bobde, the father of Bobde, served as Maharashtra's attorney general from 1980 to 1985. Vinod Arvind Bobde, who passed away in 2004, was the elder brother of Bobde and a seasoned Supreme Court attorney.

Bobde attended St. Francis De'Sales High School in Nagpur for his education. After graduating from St. Francis De Sales College in Nagpur, he pursued legal studies at Nagpur University's Dr. Ambedkar Law College.

Career

Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde began his legal career during the following time period:

• On September 13, 1978, he registered as a lawyer, began practicing in the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court.

• Later on, he was promoted to Senior Advocate in 1998.

• On 29 March 2000 Bobde was appointed as an additional judge of the Bombay High Court.

• 16 October 2012, he was raised to the position of Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, and on 12 April 2013, he was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court of India.

• On November 18, 2019, he was chosen to succeed Ranjan Gogoi as the 47th Chief Justice of India.

Fact	Detail
Name	Sharad Arvind Bobde
Date of Birth	26th April, 1908
Alma Mater	Nagpur University (BALLB)
Official Tenure	18 November 2019 – 23 April 2021
President	Ram Nath Kovind
Preceded by	Ranjan Gogoi
Succeeded by	N. V. Ramana
As Judge	Additional judge of the Bombay High Court, Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Judge of the Supreme Court of India, and Chief Justice of India

Notable Judgement

The notable judgments are:

Arjun Gopal vs. Union of India (AIR 2018 SC 5731: 2018 (14) SCALE 209)

In this present case, on November 11, 2017, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court issued an order prohibiting the sale and stockpiling of firecrackers. The verdict was announced around two weeks after Diwali.

Jindal Stainless Steel vs. State of Haryana (2016 SCC Online SC 1260)

The legality of a state entrance tax on products coming from other states was affirmed by a nine-judge panel. Bobde was a member of the majority of seven judges. In order to prevent unfair discrimination against domestic products, it was decided that states' rights to put tariffs on imported goods were constitutional.

Abhiram Singh vs. CD Commachen (2017 SCC OnLine SC 9)

A seven-judge panel ruled that both voters and politicians are prohibited from using communal feelings to win electoral votes. In a separate concurring opinion, Justice Bobde emphasized that there is no prohibition on the purposeful interpretation of criminal statutes. He said that when the legislative intent is undermined by plain reading, purposive interpretation might be employed for criminal legislation.

Jogendra Singh vs. State of Madhya Pradesh (AIR 2019 (17) SCALE 470)

On appeal, a three-judge panel reduced a convict's death sentence to life in prison. The appellant had been given a death sentence by the Madhya Pradesh High Court for killing a woman while on bail for another crime. Applying the Bachchan Singh principle, Justice Bobde determined that the case did not meet the "rarest of rare" standard because of mitigating factors.

M Siddiq (D) Thr Lrs vs. Mahant Suresh Das & Ors (Ayodhya Dispute: 2019 SCC OnLine SC 1440)

The Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case was considered by the five-judge constitutional bench, which rendered its decision on November 9, 2019, and Justice Bobde was a member of the bench. The tribunal unanimously decided that the desecration of the Babri Masjid in 1949 and the demolition of the Babri Masjid were illegal acts and ordered the construction of a Hindu temple on the disputed site.

K.S. Puttaswamy vs. Union of India ((2017) 10 SCC 1)

The basic right to privacy was upheld by a nine-judge panel in unanimity. In a separate concurring opinion, Justice Bobde acknowledged that the right to privacy is a natural one that is rooted in many other basic rights, particularly the right to life. He made it clear that the Aadhar privacy restriction is just, fair, and reasonable.

Likewise, during his one year and five-month term as CJI, Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde became the sole CJI to not suggest a single name of a judge to be nominated to the Supreme Court of India. As a judge of the Supreme Court, he authored 68 decisions. He did, however, preside over 547 cases. Effectively, he has written 8.5 verdicts annually. He has authored 29 decisions for the Supreme Court on the topic of criminal law.

FAQs

Q1. How many High Courts, Justice Bobde served before being appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court?

Ans. Before being appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Bobde served two High Courts. On 29 March 2000, Bobde was appointed as an additional judge of the Bombay High Court and on 16 October 2012 he was promoted to Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court before being finally elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court of India on 12 April 2013.

Q2. What are the major cases that Justice Bobde decided?

Ans. Some of the significant cases that Justice Bobde decided (or part of the bench) are:

• Ayodhya dispute

• Aadhaar

• Anti-abortion

• Marital rape

• Appointment of High Court Judges, etc.