Former CJI Balakrishnan appointed NHRC Chairperson

New Delhi, June 3 (ANI): The President, Pratibha Devisingh Patil, has appointed former Chief Justice of India (CJI) K G Balakrishnan as Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

Justice Balakrishnan, who was the 37th Chief Justice of India retired from his position on May 12, 2010.

As an advocate, he pleaded both criminal and civil cases in the Ernakulam court. He was later appointed as a Munsiff in the Kerala Judicial Services in 1973. He later resigned from the services and resumed practice as an advocate in the Kerala High Court, and was transferred to the Gujarat High Court in 1997.

Justice Balakrishnan became the Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court in 1998, and in 1999, he assumed charge as the Chief Justice of the High Court of Judicature at Madras. While being Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court, he also discharged duties of Governor of Gujarat for about two months.

He was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court on June 8, 2000 and sworn in as the Chief Justice of India on January 14, 2007 by the then President of India A P J Abdul Kalam. (ANI)