Section 377 verdict: Know the Supreme Court Bench

New Delhi, Sep 6: The Supreme Court will pronounce its verdict on the legality of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code on Thursday. The court would decide whether the section that criminalised sexual relations between same-gender adults would be valid or not.

The bench comprises - Chief Justice of India, Dipak Misra, Justice RF Nariman, Justice A M Khanwilkar, Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice Indu Malhotra. Justice Nariman and Justice Indu Malhotra replaced Justice AK Sikri and Justice Ashok Bhushan.

This change came on July 6, six months after the chief justice of India set up a bench of 5 judges comprising himself, Justice AK Sikri, Justice Ashok Bhushan, Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice DY Chandrachud to hear among other constitutional matters, the controversial section 377 case.

The hearing in the matter commenced on July 10, 2018. Petitions filed by -- Bharatnatyam dancer Navtej Johar, culture expert Aman Nath, restaurateurs Ritu Dalmia and Ayesha Kapur and mediaperson Sunil Mehra -- challenge a 2013 judgment of the top court that criminalised consensual sex between adults.

Chief Justice of India, Dipak Misra

His Lordship was born on 03rd October, 1953. He was enrolled as an Advocate on 14th February, 1977 and Practiced in Constitutional, Civil, Criminal, Revenue, Service and Sales Tax matters in the Orissa High Court and the Service Tribunal. He was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Orissa High Court on 17th January, 1996 and transferred to the Madhya Pradesh High Court on 03rd March, 1997. He became permanent Judge on 19th December, 1997. Justice Misra assumed charge of the office of Chief Justice, Patna High Court on 23rd December, 2009 and charge of the office of the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court on 24th May, 2010. Elevated as a Judge, Supreme Court of India w.e.f. 10.10.2011.

Appointed as The Chief Justice of India on 28.08.2017. He is due to retire from Supreme Court on October 2, 2018.

Justice A M Khanwilkar

Justice A. M. Khanwilkar was born on 30th July 1957, Pune, India. He did B.Com from Mulund College of Commerce, Mumbai and L.L.B. from K.C. Law College, Mumbai. He was enrolled as Advocate on 10th February, 1982. He was appointed as Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court on 29th March, 2000 and confirmed as permanent Judge on 8th April, 2002. He was appointed as Chief Justice of the High Court of Himachal Pradesh on 4th April, 2013. Thereafter, he was appointed as Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court on 24th November, 2013.

Elevated as Judge of Supreme Court of India and assumed charge on May 13, 2016.

Justice DY Chandrachud

Appointed Judge of the Supreme Court of India on 13 May 2016. Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court from 31 October 2013 until appointment to the Supreme Court. Judge of the Bombay High Court from 29 March 2000 until appointment as Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court. Director of Maharashtra Judicial Academy. Additional Solicitor General of India from 1998 until appointment as a Judge. Designated as Senior Advocate by the Bombay High Court in June 1998. Practised law at the Supreme Court of India and the Bombay High Court. Visiting Professor of Comparative Constitutional Law at the University of Mumbai. Visiting Professor at Oklahoma University School of Law, USA.

Delivered lectures at the Australian National University, Harvard Law School, Yale Law School and the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa. Speaker at conferences organised by bodies of the United Nations including United Nations High Commission on Human Rights, International Labour Organisation and United Nations Environmental Program, the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.

Justice Indu Malhotra

Born on March 14, 1956 in Bangalore. Did her schooling from Carmel Convent School, Delhi. Obtained Bachelors Degree in Political Science from Lady Shri Ram College in 1975, and then Masters Degree in Political Science in 1977 from Delhi University. Appointed as a Lecturer in Political Science in Miranda House College and Vivekanand College, Delhi University in 1978. Obtained post-graduate Diploma in Corporate Laws & Secretarial Practice from the Indian Law Institute in 1978-79. Completed her Bachelors Degree in Law from Delhi University in 1983. LEGAL PROFESSION Enrolled as an Advocate on January 12, 1983 with Bar Council of Delhi.

Qualified as an Advocate-on-Record Examination in 1988 and was awarded the MukeshGoswami Memorial Prize for having topped the examination. 2nd woman to be designated as a Senior Advocate by the Supreme Court in 2007 after 30 years. Specialized in the law of Arbitration, and appeared as Counsel in various domestic and international commercial arbitrations both in India, and abroad. Appointed as a sole Arbitrator by various Arbitration Institutions. Certificate of the Diploma Course in International Commercial Arbitration by Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb.), England. Empanelled by SIAC as an Arbitrator in CIDC-SIAC from March 2006 to 2011.

Justice RF Nariman

Was made Senior Counsel by the Chief Justice of India. Justice Venkatachalaiah amended the rules in order to make him a Senior Counsel at the young age of 37 against the mandatory 45. Has practiced Maritime Law in New York at Haight, Gardener, Poor and Havens for 1 year. Has practiced law for the last 35 years. Has over 500 Reported Supreme Court Judgments to his credit. Expert in Comparative Constitutional Law and Civil Law.