Former CJI Pioneer P.N. Bhagwati Passed Away:- The former Chief Justice of India (CJI) P.N. Bhagwati passed away on Thursday night at 8 p.m., who was 95 years old.
For a few days, he was critically ill. Justice Bhagwati is survived by his wife Prabhavati Bhagwati and three daughters - Parul Jayakar, Pallavi Shroff and Sonali Bhagwati.
The family sources said, funeral of the former CJI will be held on Saturday in New Delhi. Bhagwati, a graduate from Government Law college in Mumbai, started his practice in Mumbai High Court. He became a judge in Gujarat in 1960 and later on became Gujarat High Court Chief Justice in 1967.
On July 12th, 1985, Bhagwati became the Chief justice of India and he retired as CJI on December, 1986. He was known for introducing and pioneering Public Interest Litigation ( PIL) which transformed legal landscape in the country. The PIL dispensed justice to the voiceless poor on whose behalf a third person could approach the Supreme Court or high courts.
For many other landmark decisions including devising this great concept, the government in 2007 had conferred the second highest civilian award, Padma Vibhushan on him.
Early in his career as a judge of the SC, he was part of the five-judge bench which in 1976 delivered the infamous ADM Jabalpur judgement. The government’s decision was upheld with the judgment to suspend fundamental rights This included the Right to Life, during Emergency, which remained in force in India from 1975 to 1977.
Among the five who gave the dissenting judgment, Justice H R Khanna was the only judge who gave the dissenting judgement holding that the Right to Life is a core fundamental right which could never be suspended by any government even during Emergency.
He became famous when an important judgment was given by him on Maneka Gandhi passport impounding case in 1978 which ruled that a person has full right to hold a passport and person’s movement cannot be restricted.
He is also a freedom fighter and participated in movement in the year 1942 and was underground for more than 4 months.
Bhagwati is the brother of economist Jagdish Bhagawati and neuro surgeon SN Bhawati.
SUPRAJA
