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Justice Anand sworn in as Chief Justice of India

Justice Adarsh Sein Anand was today sworn in as the 29th Chief Justice of India.

He was administered the oath of office and secrecy by President K R Narayanan at a simple ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Justice Anand succeeds Justice Madan Mohan Punchhi.

The new Chief Justice will adorn the august office for more than three years, well into the new millennium, till he attains the age of superannuation on October 31, 2001.

Justice Anand took the oath in English.

The new CJI is a firm believer in the strict enforcement of personal liberty and the rights of the citizens guaranteed by the Constitution.

Born on November 1, 1936, he was one of the authors of the norms of conduct adopted by the Supreme Court judges on May 7 a year ago.

According to the code, the judges must disclose their assets and should not act in a manner which erodes the credibility of the institution. A judge also should not directly or indirectly engage in trade or business.

He joined the Inns of Court and was called to the bar as a barrister-at -law from the Society of Inner Temple, London, in 1964. He practised in the Punjab and Haryana high court at Chandigarh with distinction.

He was appointed an additional judge of the Jammu and Kashmir high court in May 1975 and in February, 1976 he was confirmed a permanent judge in the same high court. He took over as the acting chief justice of the high court on June 25,1984 and assumed charge as chief justice on May 11,1985.

He was transferred as chief justice of the Madras high court on November 1, 1989 and elevated to the bench of the Supreme Court in November 1991.

He headed various commissions of enquiry and investigative commissions during his tenure as a judge and the chief justice of the Jammu and Kashmir high court. He was chairman of the advisory board constituted under the Preventive Detention Act in the state. He was a member of the high court arrears committee appointed by the government of India on the recommendation of the Chief Justices Conference. He has also penned a highly acclaimed book The Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir: Its Development and Comments.

UNI

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