Born on the 12th May, 1945 at in Kottayam District, Kerala, Justice Balakrishnan enrolled as an Advocate of the Kerala Bar Council on the 16th March, 1968 and pleaded both criminal and civil cases in the Ernakulam Court.

He was appointed as a Munsif in the Kerala Judicial Service on the 10th January, 1973 and later resigned from the service and resumed practice as an Advocate in the Kerala High Court. He was appointed as a Judge of the Kerala High Court on the 26th September, 1985. He became the Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court on the 16th July, 1998 and was transferred to the High Court of Judicature at Madras and assumed charge there as Chief Justice on the 9th September, 1999.

He was elevated as the Judge of the Supreme Court on the 8th June, 2000. On 14th January, 2007 he was appointed as the Chief Justice of India and retired on the 12th May, 2010.

During his tenure in the Supreme Court, he delivered several landmark judgements. These included an order which made the mid-day meal programme in schools a statutory requirement. This order brought relief to millions of poor children who had to discontinue their studies due to poverty. Recently a division bench headed by him held as unconstitutional forcible narco-analysis, polygraph and brain electrical activation profile or brain-mapping tests by the investigating agencies which were raising concerns on the human rights of the people.

Mr. Justice Balakrishnan has participated in a number of international seminar and delivered thought provoking lectures in various Universities on legal topics.

Top

Born on 19th January 1943. Joined the legal profession after brilliant academic career having secured Merit Scholarship in the High School Examination of Uttar Pradesh Board and 5th position in M.Sc (Physics) in Allahabad University. Enrolled as Advocate on 8th December 1964 and practised in Allahabad High Court on the Civil, Criminal and Constitutional side. Was appointed as permanent Judge of Allahabad High Court on 6th July 1990 and as Acting Chief Justice on 25th November 2002. Was appointed as Judge of Supreme Court of India on 20th December 2002, from where he retired on 18th January 2008. Has been appointed as Member, National Human Rights Commission on 15th April, 2008.

Top

Born on 07.08.1943 at Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Obtained degree of B.A. (Hons.) with Economics in 1963. Obtained LL.B. degree and also M.A. degree with Economics and Politics from Gujarat University in 1967. Enrolled as an Advocate on 05.04.1968. Started practice as an Advocate in the City Civil Court, Ahmedabad from 1968. As an advocate, had opportunities to conduct civil, criminal, industrial and tax matters in the courts at all levels from the lowest to the Highest Court. However, he confined the practice mainly to the High Court of Gujarat at Ahmedabad. He was elevated to the Bench of Gujarat High Court on 21.6.1990.

As a Judge of the High Court, Justice Patel had occasion to preside over the Green Bench hearing environmental matters and various Public Interest Litigations for a period of two years. For maintaining water table and natural ponds, lakes or water bodies, public interest litigations in the form of writ petitions were heard and decided. He had concern for the safety of citizens residing in the high rise buildings and directions were given to provide fire safety measures failing which the power supply was ordered to be stopped.

He was elevated as the Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and took oath on 15.5.02 where he had occasion to hear public interest litigation for maintaining water bodies, particularly, Dal Lake and forests.

He was transferred as Chief Justice of Delhi High Court where again apart from civil, criminal and revenue matters, he had occasion to decide public interest litigations in the form of writ petitions involving building regulations, unauthorized constructions and encroachments on public streets, roads and in the banks of river Yamuna in Delhi. He had also issued some directions with regard to maintenance of ancient monuments including Jama Masjid constructed by Moghul Emperor Shahjahan, Orders were also passed for control of air, water and noise pollution and in particular, directions were given to all Thermal Power Stations for disposal of coal ash in a particular manner as also directions to make use of coal ash, etc.

Justice Patel was also a member of the Committee headed by the Chief Justice of India constituted on the request of British Council, New Delhi for training advocates. He was also Ex-officio Chief Patron of Judicial Academy and Patron-in-Chief of Legal Aid Authority of Delhi and Jammu & Kashmir apart from being erstwhile Chairman of the Advisory Boards for advising the Government in matters of Preventive Detention under National Security Act, Prevention of Black Marketing Act, Prevention of Anti-Social Activity Act and Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act. He had occasion to participate in the Indo-US Legal Forum meeting with US delegation consisting of Ms. Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Mr. Justice Stephan Breyer of US Supreme Court, Mr. Justice J. Clifford Wallace, Circuit Judge and Ms. Fern Smith of Federal District Court and Director of Federal Judicial Centre.

He rendered services in the educational field by delivering lectures on various subjects of law, in law colleges and commerce colleges for a period of about twenty years.
Assumed office as Member of National Human Rights Commission on 23.7.08.

Top

Born February 7, 1949.  Joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1972, and retired from it at the end of February 2009.  Was High Commissioner in Botswana from 1991 to 1994, where his remit included liaising with the ANC during South Africa's transition to democracy. He has also been India's Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York and Deputy High Commissioner in London.  His last two postings were as High Commissioner in Pretoria and in Islamabad.  Joined the Commission on March 2, 2009.

Top

Born on 28 June 1942. After completing post graduation in English Literature he served as lecturer in DAV College Ambala City & Nehru Memorial College Manssa.  Joined Indian Police Service in 1966 and served in the field as District Superintendent of Police till 1978 in the State of Assam.

Served as Superintendent of Police, Central Bureau of Investigation from 1978 to 1982. From 1982 to 1984 he served as Deputy Inspector General, Central Range Nagoan (Assam). From 1984 to 1992, he was posted as Deputy Inspector General of Police in the premier Investigative Agency of India, Central Bureau of Investigation. He served as Joint Director, Central Bureau of Investigation from 1992 to 1996. He then moved to the State of Sikkim on 10 February 1997 as Director General of Police a post he occupied till 31 December 1997. During the years1998 to 1999, he served as Additional Director, Central Bureau of Investigation. He also served as Special Director (E) from 1999 to 2001 and retired as Director of the country’s premier investigating agency on 6 December 2003.

Participated in various international seminars which included that on Economic offences at Jesus College, Cambridge, International Conference on Corruption, at Mexico, Asian Regional Interpol Conference in Zambia, Bangkok, Colombo and Sri Lanka, South Asia pacific Conference on Money Laundering, Tokyo, Conference on Euro in Brussels, 7th Asia Conference on Ombudsman in Beijing, China, Interpol General Assembly Conference, New Delhi, Budapest, Hungary and Yaounde, Cameroon.

At the 71st General Assembly Session of the Executive Committee of ICPO - Interpol held in the year 2002 at Yaounde, Cameroon, he was elected as Delegate (Asia).

The following year, he was elected to the Executive Committee of ICPO – Interpol as Vice President (Asia) during the 72nd General Assembly Session at Benidrom, Spain.

Appointed by the President of India as Member, National Human Rights Commission for a five years term commencing from 3rd March 2004.

He has been extensively touring the country and addressing among others, officers from IAS, IPS, Indian Army and Para Military Forces on the various human rights issues.  He has also attended International Seminars on Human Rights in Belfast, Ireland and World Hindi Conference in New York.

Aftermath of the Nithari incident in Noida, UP, the NHRC appointed him as Chairman of the NHRC Committee on Missing Children; to prepare guidelines for the governmental and non-governmental agencies concerned.  He has already submitted the report to the Commission which has been accepted and action initiated on the same.

Shri Sharma, was leader of NHRC delegation to United Nation’s International Co-ordinating Committee of National Human Rights Institutions for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights, which held its meeting in Geneva in the month of April, 2008.

On successful completion of his 5 years term on 2nd March, 2009, Shri P.C. Sharma has been reappointed by the President of India for another term as Member of NHRC from 25th March, 2009.

Top