12 Facts About Sabyasachi Mukharji

Sabyasachi Mukharji was an Indian jurist, who was the twentieth Chief Justice of India.

Sabyasachi Mukharji previously served as the acting Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court.

Sabyasachi Mukharji was born in Calcutta, the third son of Rai Bahadur Bejoy Bihari Mukharji, first Indian Director General of Land Records, Bengal Presidency.

Sabyasachi Mukharji received his secondary education at the Mitra Institution, Bhowanipore, Calcutta; then a degree from Presidency College, Calcutta, followed by a degree in Economics with honours from Calcutta University in 1946.

Sabyasachi Mukharji was called to the bar by the Society of the Middle Temple.

Sabyasachi Mukharji began his legal career in 1949 as an advocate at the Calcutta High Court where he did primarily civil, revenue and constitutional cases.

On 15 March 1983, Sabyasachi Mukharji was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court of India, and he became Chief Justice of India on 18 December 1989.

In March 1989, Sabyasachi Mukharji became involved with the Bhopal gas incident when he was appointed to head the Supreme Court's panel to examine the vadility of the "Bhopal Gas Leak Act".

Sabyasachi Mukharji issued his initial opinion just five days after becoming Chief Justice, but did not live to see the court's final disposition of the matter.

Sabyasachi Mukharji worked to keep the judiciary independent and worked to solve the problems.

Justice Mukharji has received criticism for his handling of the V Ramaswami case, where his appointment of a committee did not result in corrective action, although Parliament was almost unable to resolve that case.

Sabyasachi Mukharji died of a heart attack complicated by diabetes on 25 September 1990 in London, having just arrived from a lecture tour of the United States.