Data Source: Supreme Court of India website ©Bar & Bench ™ Page 1

Chief Justice of India: Facts and figures over the last six decades

Last week, on January 26, 2013 the Supreme Court of India completed 63 years of its existence. Through this period, the Apex Court has seen thirty-eight Chief Justices of India complete their tenure; a tenure which

ranges from barely half a month to over seven years. Bar & Bench analyses some of the facts and figures related to the post of the Chief Justice of the country.

Bombay (7) 19%

Allahabad (5) 14%

Calcutta (4) 11%

Karnataka (3) 8%

Madras (2) 5%

Patna (2) 5%

Gujarat (2) 5%

Orissa (2) 6%

Delhi (2) 6%

Madhya Pradesh (2) 6%

Lahore (1) 3%

Nagpur (1) 3%

Punjab (1) 3%

Jammu & Kashmir (1) 3%

Kerala (1) 3%

Parent High Court of former CJIs

Origins

Only four CJIs have been judges

of a court subordinate to the

High Court, namely KN

Wanchoo, AM Ahmadi, RC

Lahoti and KG Balakrishnan.

Justice SM Sikri has been the

only CJI who was elevated to the

Supreme Court from the post of

Advocate General.

A CJI has an average experience

of 12 years as judge of a High

Court

Sixteen former CJI’s have been

the Chief Justice of a High Court

with tenures (as Chief Justice of

a High Court) ranging from 4

months to 7 years.

The Bombay High Court has

produced 7 CJI’s (the largest

number thus far)

Data Source: Supreme Court of India website ©Bar & Bench ™ Page 2

650

908

353 405

1034

1584

774

106 286 319

1026

36

825

1374

389

2697

527

911

182 282

426

18

341

86

378

882

299 265

1118

186 186 41

500

30

518 439

1214

871 650

531

1439

1791

2501

1763

2571

3299

3072 3166

3373

4084

2545

1364

1877 2004

4378

3226

3756

2470

2751

2086

1687 1871

2199 2141

2852 3026

2518

3410

2429 2615

2099

2411

2001 2104

2411 2337

SC Judge & CJI Tenure (1950-2013)

Tenure as CJI (Days) Tenure as SC Judge (Days)

The average tenure of a CJI as a judge of the Supreme Court

(excluding time spent as CJI) is 2,442 days

Justice MP Sastri had the shortest tenure as a Supreme

Court judge (531 days) while Justice PN Bhagwati remained

as a judge in the Apex Court for 4,378 days

The average term of a CJI is 591 days

Justice KN Singh had the shortest tenure as Chief

Justice of India (18 days) while Justice YV Chandrachud

was CJI for 2,697 days, the longest tenure thus far.

Two CJIs have died in harness namely the

country’s first CJI, Justice HJ Kania and its 20th

CJI, Justice Sabyasachi Mukherjee

Three CJI’s have resigned from their posts,

namely Justices BK Mukherjea, K Subba Rao,

and RS Pathak

Data Source: Supreme Court of India website ©Bar & Bench ™ Page 3

61 60

58

55 54

56 55 55 55

52 53

55 56

58

52 52 53

54 55

56

59 59 59 57

56 56 55 55 55

57 57 57 58 58 58 58

56

62 63

62 61

59

63 64

62 63

61 63

61 59

63

57

63 61

64

61 63

64 63

64 62 62

64 64

61

64 64 64 63

64 63 63

62 62

Ages of former CJI's (1950-2013

Age at time of joining SC Age at time of appointment as CJI

The average age of a CJI when he is elevated to the

Supreme Court is 56 years

Justice M Hidayatullah was 52 years when he was elevated

to the Supreme Court (the youngest of all CJI’s) while

Justice M Patanjali Sastri was 61 years old (the oldest of all

CJI’s)

The average age of a CJI when he is appointed as Chief

Justice of India is 62 years.

Justice YV Chandrachud was just 57 years old when he

became the CJI on July 11, 1985 while the oldest CJI was

Justice KN Singh who was 64 years and 11 months at the

time of becoming CJI.

Data Source: Supreme Court of India website ©Bar & Bench ™ Page 4

Table of Former Chief Justices of India

Name Parent High Court Tenure as High

Court judges *

Elevated to the

Supreme Court

Age at time of

elevation to SC

Tenure as SC Judge (Days

Appointed as Chief

Justice of India

Age at time

of CJI

Retired on Period as CJI

1. H.J. Kania Bombay 13 years 26/01/1950 NA** 650 26/01/1950 NA 06/11/1951

(Died in

harness)

650 days

2. M.P. Sastri Madras 8 years 26/01/1950 61 years 531 07/11/1951 62 years 03/01/1954 908 days

3. M.C. Mahajan Lahore 5 years 26/01/1950

60 years 1,439 04/01/1954 63 years 22/12/1954

353 days

4. B.K. Mukherjea Calcutta 12 years 26/01/1950 58 years 1,791 23/12/1954 62 years 31/01/1956

(Resigned)

405 days

5. SR Das Calcutta 8 years 26/01/1950 55 years 2,501 01/02/1956 61 years 30/09/1959 1,034 days

6. BP Sinha Patna 11 years 03/12/1954 54 years

1,763 01/10/1959 59 years 31/01/1964 1,584 days

7. P.B.

Gajendragadkar

Bombay 12 years 17/01/1957 56 years 2.571 01/02/1964 63 years 15/03/1966 774 days

8. A.K. Sarkar Calcutta 8 years 04/03/1957 55 years 3,299 16/03/1966 64 years 29/06/1966 106 days

9. K Subba Rao Madras 10 years 31/01/1958 55 years 3,072 30/06/1966 62 years 11/04/1967

(Resigned)

286 days

10. K.N. Wanchoo Allahabad 11 years 11/08/1958 55 years 3,166 12/04/1967 63 years 24/02/1968 319 days

11. M. Hidayatullah Nagpur 12 years 01/12/1958 52 years 3,379 25/02/1968 61 years 16/12/1970 1,026 days

12. J.C. Shah Bombay Not available 12/10/1959 53 years 4,084 17/12/1970 63 years 21/01/1971 36 days

13. S.M. Sikri Former Advocate

General

NA 03/02/1964 55 years 2,545 22/01/1971 61 years 25/04/1973 825 days

14. A.N. Ray Calcutta NA 01/08/1969 56 years 1,364 26/04/1973 59 years 28/01/1977 1,374 days

15. M.H. Beg Allahabad 8 years 10/12/1971 58 years 1,877 29/01/1977 63 years 21/02/1978 389 days

Data Source: Supreme Court of India website ©Bar & Bench ™ Page 5

Name Parent High Court Tenure as High

Court judges *

Elevated to the

Supreme Court

Age at time of

elevation to SC

Tenure as SC Judge (Days)

Appointed as Chief

Justice of India

Age at time

of CJI

Retired on Period as CJI

16. Y.V. Chandrachud Bombay 11 years 28/08/1972 52 years 2,004 22/02/1978 57 years 11/07/1985 2697 days

17. P.N. Bhagwati Gujarat 13 years 17/07/1973 52 years 4,378 12/07/1985 63 years 20/12/1986 527 days

18. R.S. Pathak Allahabad 16 years 20/02/1978 53 years 3,226 21/12/1986 61 years 18/06/1989

(Resigned)

911 days

19. E.S.

Venkataramiah

Karnataka 9 years 08/03/1979 54 years 3,756 19/06/1989 64 years 17/12/1989 182 days

20. Sabyasachi

Mukherjee

Calcutta 15 years 15/03/1983 55 years 2,470 18/12/1989 61 years 25/09/1990

(Died in

harness)

282 days

21. Ranganath Misra Orissa 12 years 15/03/1983 56 years 2,751 25/09/1990 63 years 24/11/1991 426 days

22. K.N. Singh Allahabad 16 years 10/03/1986 59 years 2,086 25/11/1991 64 years 12/12/1991 18 days

23. M.H. Kania Bombay 18 years 01/05/1987 59 years 1,687 13/12/1991 63 years 17/11/1992 341 days

24. L.M. Sharma Patna 14 years 05/10/1987 59 years 1,871 18/11/1992 64 years 11/02/1993 86 days

25. M.N.

Venkatachaliah

Karnataka 12 years 05/10/1987 57 years 2,199 12/02/1993 62 years 24/10/1994 378 days

26. A.M. Ahmadi Gujarat HC 12 years 14/12/1988 56 years 2,141 25/10/1994 62 years 24/03/1997 882 days

27. J.S. Verma Madhya Pradesh 17 years 03/06/1989 56 years 2,852 25/03/1997 64 years 17/01/1998 299 days

28. M.M. Punchhi Punjab 10 years 06/10/1989 55 years 3,026 18/01/1998 64 years 09/10/1998 265 days

29. A.S. Anand Jammu & Kashmir 16 years 18/11/1991 55 years 2,518 10/10/1998 61 years 31/10/2001 1,118 days

30. S.P. Bharucha Bombay 15 years 01/07/1992 55 years 3,410 01/11/2001 64 years 05/05/2002 186 days

31. B.N. Kirpal Delhi 16 years 11/09/1995 57 years 2,429 06/05/2002 64 years 07/11/2002 186 days

Data Source: Supreme Court of India website ©Bar & Bench ™ Page 6

Name Parent High Court Tenure as High

Court judges *

Elevated to the

Supreme Court

Age at time of

elevation to SC

Tenure as SC Judge (Days)

Appointed as Chief

Justice of India

Age at time

of CJI

Retired on Period as CJI

32. G.B. Pattanaik Orissa 12 years 11/09/1995 57 years 2,615 08/11/2002 64 years 18/12/2002 41 days

33. V.N. Khare Allahabad 14 years 21/03/1997 57 years 2,099 19/12/2002 63 years 01/05/2004 500 days

34. S. Rajendra Babu Karnataka 8 years 25/09/1997 58 years 2,411 02/05/2004 64 years 31/05/2004 30 days

35. R.C. Lahoti Madhya Pradesh 10 years 09/12/1998 58 years 2,001 01/06/2004 63 years 31/10/2005 518 days

36. Y.K. Sabharwal Delhi 14 years 28/01/2000 58 years 2,104 01/11/2005 63 years 13/01/2007 439 days

37. K.G. Balakrishnan Kerala 15 years 08/06/2000 55 years 2,411 14/01/2007 62 years 11/05/2010 1,214 days

38. S.H. Kapadia Bombay 12 years 18/12/2003 56 years 2,377 12/05/2010 62 years 28/09/2012 871 days

* Includes Time as Additional Judge, Permanent Judge and Chief Justice of High

Court (s) where such information is available

** Data unavailable