S. J. Mukhopadhaya
Sudhansu Jyoti Mukhopadhaya (15 March 1950) is a former justice of the Supreme Court of India.[1] He was also chair of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal from 1 June 2016 to 14 March 2020. He previously served as Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court and also served as acting Chief Justice at the Jharkhand High Court[2] and the Madras High Court.[3]
S. J. Mukhopadhaya | |
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Judge of the Supreme Court of India | |
In office 13 September 2011 – 14 March 2015 | |
Personal details | |
Born | 15 March 1950 |
Alma mater | Magadh University Patna University |
Notable judgements
Suresh Kumar Koushal v. Naz Foundation
A Supreme Court bench of justice G. S. Singhvi and Justice SJ Mukhopadhaya has upheld the Section 377 of India's penal code bans "sex against the order of nature", which is widely interpreted to mean homosexual sex. The judges stated that "a minuscule fraction of the country's population constitutes lesbians, gays, bisexuals or transgenders" and that the High Court had erroneously relied upon international precedents "in its anxiety to protect the so-called rights of LGBT persons". The United Nations human rights chief Navi Pillay voiced her disappointment at the re-criminalization of consensual same-sex relationships in India, calling it "a significant step backwards" for the country and Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon stressed the need for equality and opposed any discrimination against lesbians, gays and bisexuals. The decision is widely believed to be one of the lowest points of Indian Supreme Court jurisprudence.
In the Puttaswamy v. Union Of India case, the 9-judge bench commented on the verdict that the size of the population should have no barring on the protection of fundamental rights. The bench commented that the "so-called rights" implies an illusion, but the claims were grounded in the constitution.[4] Subsequently, the judgement was overturned by a 5-judge constitutional bench on 6 September 2018 in Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India.[5]
References
- "Former judges: Hon'ble Mr. Justice Sudhansu Jyoti Mukhopadhaya". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015.
- "S.J. Mukhopadhaya sworn in judge". The Hindu. 1 September 2006. Archived from the original on 6 January 2014.
- "Justice Mukhopadhaya appointed Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court". The Hindu. 7 December 2009. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
- "Right to Privacy Judgement" (PDF). Supreme Court of India. 24 August 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 August 2017.
- "LGBT community expresses shock as Supreme Court rules gay sex illegal, calls it a 'black day'". India Today. 11 December 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2019.