New Delhi: Justice P Sathasivam was yesterday sworn in as the 40th chief justice of India (CJI) by President Pranab Mukherjee. He will hold the post till April 26, 2014.
The first CJI from Tamil Nadu, Justice Sathasivam, 64, succeeded CJI Altamas Kabir, whose last day in office was Thursday.
Born on April 27, 1949 in Kadappanallur village, in Tamil Nadu’s Erode district, Justice Sathasivam, hailing from a farmer’s family, was the first graduate in his family and the first law graduate in his village.
He was appointed as a judge of the apex court on August 21, 2007. Prior to moving to the apex court, he was in Punjab and Haryana High Court. He was appointed as a permanent judge of the Madras High Court on January 8, 1996.
As a judge of the apex court, he dealt with a large number of cases including the 1993 Bombay Bomb blast case in which he upheld the conviction of film star Sanjay Dutt under the Arms Act but reduced his sentence from six years to five years.
IANS
