Ex-chief justice Chandrachud dies

Mumbai: Former chief justice of India Justice Y.V. Chandrachud died on Monday following a brief illness, an official said. He was 88.

Chandrachud is survived by his wife Prabha and son Justice Dhananjay Chandrachud, who is a judge of Bombay High Court.

The official said Chandrachud celebrated his 88th birthday on July 12 with his family members. He suddenly fell ill after the dinner and was rushed to the nearby Bombay Hospital from his Colaba residence in south Mumbai. He died there around 10.30am.

A steady stream of visitors, including judges, lawyers and politicians visited the Chandrachud residence to pay their homage to the departed legal luminary. According to a court official, Chandrachud's funeral was to be held later in the evening at the Chandanwadi Electric Crematorium. Born on July 12, 1920 in Pune, Yeshwant Vishnu Chandrachud completed his early education in Nutan Marathi Vidyalaya there.

Later, he shifted to Mumbai and graduated in history and economics from the Elphinstone College before completing his law degree in 1942 from the University of Bombay, securing a first-class-first. Joining the legal practice and simultaneously working as a part-time professor of law in the prestigious Government Law College, Mumbai, Chandrachud was appointed assistant government pleader at Bombay High Court in 1952 and promoted government pleader six years later.

Elevation

He was appointed a judge of the Bombay High Court on March 19, 1961 where he functioned till his elevation to the apex court on August 28, 1972. He took over as chief justice of India February 22, 1978 and retired in July 1985, making it one of the longest tenures for a top judge.

During his career, Chandrachud worked as a one-man pay commission for fixing payscales of Bombay Municipal Corporation officers and arbitrator between the Bombay Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking and its employees' union. Post-retirement, he acted as commission appointed by the Board of Cricket Control of India to inquire into the bane of bribery, betting and match-fixing scandals.