Chief Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde

The Chief Justice Of India (CJI) Sharad Arvind Bobde retired on 23rd April after serving the country as a judge for 22 years. He is known for his legacy and landmark judgments throughout his life. He was pretty and left the Supreme Court with goodwill and unforgettable memories. He stated – he is satisfied doing his best as the Chief Justice of India.

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In 2018, the then Sharad Arvind Bobde, current chief justice of India, was known as the First Among Equals. It was declared by a bench of judges in the Supreme Court through a letter to CJI, Justice Arun Mishra. When it comes to landmark cases in India, the CJI is considered the highest constitutional functionary and the most important position. Sharad Arvind Bobde was the 47th Chief Justice of India. In his 18th month of tenure, Sharad Arvind Bobde has played a key role in some of the significant and watershed judgments in Indian judicial history. 

Key Info about Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde

Full Name – Sharad Arvind Bobde

Famous For – 47th Chief Justice of India (18th November 2019 to 23rd April 2021)

Height – 5’ 9” (in feet and inches)

                1.75 m (in meters)

                175 cm (in centimeters)

Hair Colour – Black

Eye Colour – Black

Date of Birth – 24th April 1956

Age of Retirement – 64 Years

Birthplace – Nagpur, Maharashtra

Zodiac Sign – Taurus

School – St. Francis De Sales College, Nagpur, Maharashtra

College / University 

• St. Francis De Sales College, Nagpur, Maharashtra

• Dr Babasahed Ambedkar College of Law, Nagpur, Maharashtra

Educational Qualifications 

• Bachelor of Arts from St. Francis De Sales College in 1975

• Bachelor of Laws from Nagpur University’s Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar College of Law in 1978

Address – Sriniwas Bhuwan, Civil Lines, Rabindranath Tagore Marg, near All India Radio Square, Nagpur

Hobbies – Photography and Playing Cricket

Marital Status – Married

Wife – Kamini Bobde

Children – Shrinivas Bobde (Advocate)

                   Savitri Bobde and Rukmini Bobde

Parents – Arvind Shriniwas Bobde (former Advocate General of Maharashtra)

                  Mukta Arvind Bobde

Sibling – Vinod Arvind Bobde (Former Senior Supreme Court Lawyer)

Salary (approx.) – 2.80 lacs per month along with other allowances for the Chief Justice of India

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

As per the module, Justice NV Ramana succeeded CJI Bobde as he used to share his bench with Mr Ramana. It was Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde who was part of the judiciary bench responsible for the historic Ayodhya verdict. Apart from this, Arvind Bobde also delivered his key justice on other prominent cases throughout his tenure. He even headed the Indian judiciary during the pandemic and ensured that the apex court kept functioning via video conferencing. 

He hailed from a family of lawyers; Arvind Bobde is the youngest son of a distinguished senior advocate. He is still known for handling the Right to Privacy Case. In the judicial world, he was known as the troubleshooter. It was during his tenure when the Supreme Court had witnessed an unprecedented crisis due to the pandemic. The term under justice Bobde has seen it all, including the criticism for mishandling the migrant crisis and performing under the judicial court through video conferencing.

Travelling Back in his Time

Did you know – not only his elder brother and father but also his great grandfather (Ramachandra Pant Bobde) and grandfather (Shrinivas Ramchandra Bobde) was a notable lawyer in Maharashtra. Justice Bobde is a fourth generation lawyer representing his family. In his entire family, he was the only one who became a Judge, and that too, the supreme one. He was known to be very active in his hobbies when he was in school and college. He participated in dramatics, elocution, and sports. Justice Bobde used to play tennis and represented the team at University College of Law, and won the inter-collegiate championship.

The Babri Masjid Case

The Babri Masjid Case is also known as the Ayodhya dispute. It was during his tenure when the Supreme Court of India overturned the 2010 judgement of Allahabad High Court and came up with a new title as the Ram Janmabhoomi instead of the Babri Masjid site. The bench consisted of Ashok Bhushan, Abdul Nazeer, D.Y Chandrachud, Ranjan Gogoi, and Sharad Bobde. 

The case was known to be one of the most debatable and controversial judgments. As it was pending since 1950, the bench formed under the Supreme Court of India pulled the trigger to conclude the case on a positive note keeping the public welfare in mind. Justice Bobde played a key role in the judgement, and it was pretty much accepted by the citizens of India. 

The High Court and Justice Bobde

In 1978, Justice Bobde registered with the Bar Council of Maharashtra. He started practising at the Nagpur Bench under the Bombay High Court. After serving for 21 years under the state belt, in 1998, he was designated as the Senior Advocate. Justice Bobde continued with the elevation to the bench, and on 29th March 2000, under the Bombay High Court, he was designated as the Additional Judge. Later on 16th October 2012, he was appointed as the Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court.

Landmark Cases Under Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde

Apart from the most prominent case of Ayodhya, Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde also played a key role for:

• Aadhaar: Chokkalingam Nagappan, Jasti Chelameswar and Justice Bobde approved the earlier order of the Supreme Court and made it clear to the Indian citizens that they cannot deprive them of government subsidies and other basic services without an Aadhaar.

• Right to Privacy: A nine-judge bench formed by the Supreme Court of India also consisted of Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde. In August 2017, the bench declared the fundamental right of every individual in the form of Right to Privacy. 

• Air Pollution: Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde was included in the three-judge bench under the apex court. They declared the suspension of firecracker sales in the National Capital Region in 2016 to prevent pollution.

• BCCI Dispute: Sharad Arvind Bobde may not be the current chief justice of India, but during his tenure, he was appointed as an amicus curiae for resolving the problems within stakeholders. The elections of BCCI were kept on hold under Justice Bobde. An alternative to this would have resulted in multiple hearings, which could have further led to the growth of other disputed branches.

• Sexual Harassment Case against Gogoi: A three-member in-house committee was formed in which Justice Bobde was the head. The committee gave the clean chit to the former Chief Justice of India Gogoi for a complaint of sexual harassment case by former staff of the apex court.