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Ramesh Chandra Lahoti

Ramesh Chandra Lahoti (born November 1, 1940) was the 35th Chief Justice of India, serving from June 1, 2004 to November 1, 2005.

Education and Early Career

He joined the Bar in Guna district in 1960 and enrolled as an advocate in 1962. In April 1977, he was recruited directly from the Bar to the State Higher Judicial Service and was appointed as a District & Sessions Judge. After functioning as a District & Sessions Judge for a year, he resigned in May 1978 and reverted to the Bar for practice mainly in the High Court. He was appointed the Additional Judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on May 3, 1988 and made permanent Judge on August 4, 1989. Lahoti was transferred to Delhi High Court on February 7, 1994. He was appointed as a Judge of Supreme Court of India on December 9, 1998. He retired on his 65th birthday giving him a term of 18 months. His predecessor had a term of just 1 month.

Achievements

Justice Lahoti, a noted jurist is economic with words and probably the least vocal among recent Chief Justices. He served one of the longest terms as Chief Justice in recent years, retiring from office after 17 months.

In November 2004, Chief Justice Lahoti, broke ground with many of his predecessors who had expressed concern about the growing corruption within the judiciary, by proclaiming that the judiciary in India was 'clean'. This was an astounding statement, especially in the light of frequent exposes in the media about errant judges across the country.

Chief Justice's handling of judicial transfers has also attracted controversy. In February 2005, Chief Justice BK Roy was transferred from the Punjab and Haryana High Court to the Guwahati High Court, on Chief Justice Lahoti's watch. Chief Justice Roy had become famous for having caused almost the entire strength of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to go on strike after having raised questions about the manner in which some of those High Court judges had obtained membership in an elite club. The media noted how Chief Justice Roy was trying to rein in dubious practices among High Court judges, but this did not prevent Chief Justice Lahoti and his fellow judges who constitute the 'Collegium of Supreme Court Justices' from transferring him to Guwahati, in what was seen as a 'punishment posting.' Recently, there were complaints from the Guwahati bar about Chief Justice Roy's behaviour which they described as 'high handed.' Other reports suggest, however, that the problems arose because of Chief Justice Roy's efforts to improve access to justice in the North-East. The Collegium of Supreme Court justices, headed by Chief Justice Lahoti ahd recommended that Chief Justice Roy be transferred to Sikkim - one of the smallest High Courts in the country, with a sanctioned strength of 3 judges including the Chief Justice. The transfer of a High Court Chief Justice twice within six months is quite unprecedented. The troubling aspect of these events is that a judge who is perceived as being a person of integrity appears to be paying the price for being unwilling to compromise on his principles.

Population control

He upheld a Haryana law that did not allow those with more than two children to contest local body elections. He rejected arguments based on right to privacy and religion.