Dipak Misra

Chief Justice Misra was sworn in as the Chief Justice of India (CJI) on August 28th 2017. He became the 45th Chief Justice of India on 24th August 2017. He succeeded Chief Justice J. S. Khehar. He had a 14-month tenure, his last day in office was 2nd October 2018.

CJI Dipak Misra hails from the state of Odisha. He enrolled as an Advocate in 1977 and practised Constitutional, Civil, Criminal, Revenue, Service and Sales Tax matters at the Orissa High Court and the Service Tribunal. After practising as an advocate for 19 years, he was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Orissa High Court in 1996 and was subsequently transferred to the Madhya Pradesh High Court in 1997. He became a permanent Judge on December 19th 1997. CJI Misra was appointed as the Chief Justice of the Patna High Court in 2009. He became the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court in 2010. He was elevated as a Judge of the Supreme Court of India in 2011.

Notable Judgments

CJI Misra headed the Delhi High Court bench which directed that the Delhi Police must upload FIRs on their website within 24 hours of the FIRs being lodged, to enable the accused to file appropriate applications before the court for redressal of their grievances. Only officers above the rank of Deputy Commissioner of Police can decide to not upload a copy of the FIR.

In a case on reservations in promotion, CJI Misra was a part of the bench that upheld the Allahabad High Court judgment on providing reservations in promotions, but only if there is sufficient data and evidence to justify the need. The bench set aside the Uttar Pradesh government’s decision to provide reservation in promotion on the ground that it failed to furnish sufficient data and evidence.

CJI Misra led the bench which rejected the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts convict Yakub Memon’s appeal to stop his execution. Despite receiving various death threats, he successfully punished Yakub Menon with the death penalty.

A three-judge bench led by CJI Misra has upheld and authored the landmark judgement confirming the death sentence awarded to the four convicts of the Nirbhaya rape case. The Delhi gang rape and murder shook the nation and spurred the genesis of stringent anti-rape law. CJI Misra termed the convicts as those who “found an object for enjoyment in her… for their gross, sadistic and beastly pleasures… for the devilish manner in which they played with her dignity and identity is humanly inconceivable”.

CJI Misra had also upheld the constitutionality of criminal defamation and was part of the Bench of the Supreme Court’s seven senior-most judges who convicted then Calcutta High Court judge C. S. Karnan of contempt of court and sentenced him to six months’ imprisonment.

Tracked Cases

• Hadiya Marriage Case
• Euthanasia, Living Wills, and the Right to Die with Dignity
• Special Status of Delhi
• Judicial Relevance of Parliamentary Reports
• Parsi Excommunication
• Cow Vigilantism
• Gujarat Shrine Restoration
• Defamation as a Criminal Offence
• Arunachal Pradesh President’s Rule
• Judicial Relevance of Parliamentary Report
• Constitutionality of Section 377 IPC
• Ban on Female Genital Mutilation
• Decriminalisation of Adultery
• Reservation in Promotion
• Arrested Activists
• Electoral Disqualification on Framing of Criminal Charges
• Sabarimala Temple Entry
• Constitutionality of Aadhaar Act