J. S. Verma Biography 
Jagdish Sharan Verma, best known as J. S. Verma was an Indian jurist who served as the 27th Chief Justice of India. He remained in this position during 25 March 1997 - 18 January 1998, after which he served as the Chairman of National Human Rights Commission from 1999 to 2003. One of the eminent jurists in the independent India, he remained the Chairman of the Justice Verma Committee Report on Amendments to Criminal Law after the 2012 Delhi gang rape case. Through several innovative landmark judgments, he earned the name of "the face of judicial activism" in India. He has also served as the governor of Rajasthan twice between 1986 and 1989. Justice Verma was a strong believer in the Right to Information.
He was born on 18 January 1933 in Satna, Central Provinces and Berar, British India. His birth place now belongs to Madhya Pradesh. He was born into a big family and had 9 siblings. He completed his graduation from Lucknow and law studies from Allahabad. Then he married Pushpa and had two daughters. Verma began his legal career in 1955. He was appointed as a Judge of Madhya Pradesh High Court in 1972. In 1973 he made a famous judgment on a juvenile convicted of murder, which went on to form the basis for the 1986 Juvenile Justice Act, where such convicts are tried separately, and not treated as adults.
He was one of the first judges to reject the Congress Government's proclamations about Emergency period in 1975. He became Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court in 1985, followed by Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court in 1986 and then he was appointed as judge of Supreme Court in 1989. He became Chief Justice of India in 1998. During his time at the Supreme Court, Justice Verma gave numerous landmark judgments, which earned him the position of one of the greatest Indian jurists ever. After that Verma served as the Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission during 1999-2003.
Published: N/A
Updated: October 08, 2018
