Arun Kumar Mishra Explained

Arun Kumar Mishra
Office:Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission of India
Term Start:2 June 2021
Term End:1 June 2024
Appointer:Ram Nath Kovind[1]
Predecessor:H. L. Dattu
Successor:Vijaya Bharathi Sayani
Office1:Judge of the Supreme Court of India
Term Start1:7 July 2014
Term End1:2 September 2020
Appointer1:Pranab Mukherjee
Nominator1:Rajendra Mal Lodha
Office2:Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court
Termstart2:14 December 2012
Termend2:6 July 2014
Appointer2:Pranab Mukherjee
Nominator2:Altamas Kabir
Office3:Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court
Termstart3:26 November 2010
Termend3:13 December 2012
Nominator3:S. H. Kapadia
Appointer3:Pratibha Patil
Office4:Judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court
Termstart4:25 October 1999
Termend4:12 September 2010
Nominator4:Adarsh Sein Anand
Appointer4:Kocheril Raman Narayanan
Birth Date:3 September 1955

Arun Kumar Mishra (born 3 September 1955) is former chairperson of National Human Rights Commission of India.[2] He is a former judge of the Supreme Court of India. He is the former chief justice of the Calcutta High Court and Rajasthan High Court. He has also served as acting chief justice of the Rajasthan High Court. He is a former judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.

Early life and education

Mishra was born on 3 September 1955. His father, the late Hargovind Mishra was also a judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court. He completed his graduation in science and obtained a master's degree. He then obtained a degree in law. He practised from 1978 to October 1999 in constitutional, civil, industrial, criminal and service matters in the bench of High Court of Madhya Pradesh at Gwalior. He worked as a part-time lecturer in law from 1986 to 1993 and was a member of the faculty of law of Jiwaji University, Gwalior from 1991 to 1996.

Elevation to High Court

Mishra was appointed additional judge of the High Court of Madhya Pradesh on 25 October 1999 and permanent judge on 24 October 2001. He was transferred to Rajasthan High Court, Jodhpur and took oath on 12 September 2010. He became acting chief justice of Rajasthan High Court on 1 November 2010. He took oath of the office of the Chief Justice of Rajasthan on 26 November 2010.

Achievements

Mishra has taken several steps to dovetail technology in functions of Rajasthan High Court. His initiatives include publication of first ever Newsletter of Rajasthan High Court and inauguration of a Museum.[3]

Calcutta High Court

He was appointed the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court on 14 December 2012 and served until 2014 and was later elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court.[4]

Chairperson of NHRC

On 2 June 2021, he was appointed the chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission of India and served there till 1 June 2024.[5] [6] His appointment was criticized by opposition leader Mallikarjun Kharge who requested to appoint a member of the Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe communities arguing that most complaints lodged with NHRC deal with atrocities committed against these communities.[7] [8]

Controversies

In February 2020, the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) condemned Justice Mishra's statements to praise Prime Minister Narendra Modi.[9] On 22 February 2020, at the inaugural ceremony of the International Judicial Conference, Mishra said, "India is a responsible and most friendly member of the international community under the stewardship of the internationally acclaimed visionary Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi." He described Modi as "a versatile genius who thinks globally and acts locally".[10]

In response on 26 February 2020, SCBA condemned Mishra's sycophantic remarks for Modi and in a resolution it said such statements reflect poorly on the independence of judiciary which is a basic feature of the Constitution of India. The resolution asserted that if judges show their proximity to politicians, it will influence their judgments in the courts.[11]

On 31 August 2020, a former minister in the Government of India Yashwant Sinha ridiculed Mishra’s slavish behaviour toward Modi. He suggested in a contemptuous tenor that after Mishra’s retirement, Modi should reward him with a job that is more than a Rajya Sabha seat.[12] In October 2021, Sinha criticized Mishra again for his sycophancy for Modi's colleague Amit Shah who is the Home Minister of India.[13]

In an article titled "The Shadow of Haren Pandya's Case Lies Long Over Justice Arun Mishra" published on 30 August 2020, The Wire news site critically analyzed Mishra's judgments.[14]

In an article on 23 April 2020, The Hindu newspaper suggested enacting a law to stop appointments of retired judges by the government in order to restore confidence in the judiciary.[15]

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://www.indiatodayne.in/national/story/vijaya-bharathi-sayani-appointed-acting-chairperson-of-nhrc-1020328-2024-06-03
  2. News: Phukan. Sandeep. 2021-05-31. Justice A.K. Mishra to head NHRC. en-IN. The Hindu. 2021-06-02. 0971-751X.
  3. News: 'An Eyewitness Account: When SC Judge Arun Mishra Came Across A Wheelchair-bound Senior Citizen' Live Law. Live Law. 28 October 2017.
  4. Web site: Supreme Court crisis: All not okay, democracy at stake, say four senior-most judges. 2020-09-07. @businessline. 12 January 2018 . en.
  5. News: Former SC judge Arun Kumar Mishra to take charge as NHRC chairman today . 2 June 2021 . ANI News . en.
  6. Web site: 2024-06-03 . Vijaya Bharathi Sayani appointed acting chairperson of NHRC . 2024-07-07 . India Today NE . en.
  7. Web site: 2021-06-02. Justice Arun Mishra takes charge as NHRC chief, Mallikarjun Kharge questions why no SC-ST. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210602142948/https://indianexpress.com/article/india/justice-arun-mishra-nhrc-chairman-7340811/. 2021-06-02. 2021-06-02. The Indian Express. en.
  8. Web site: 2021-06-01. Controversial Judge Who Praised Modi Will Head National Human Rights Commission Now. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210601182315/https://thewire.in/government/controversial-judge-who-praised-modi-to-be-nhrc-chief-opposition-leader-dissents. 2021-06-01. 2021-06-02. The Wire.
  9. Web site: 2020-02-27 . Supreme Court bar association criticises justice Arun Mishra for PM praise . 2022-08-10 . Hindustan Times . en.
  10. Web site: February 22, 2020 . Press Trust of India . PM Modi a versatile genius who thinks globally and acts locally: Supreme Court Judge . 2022-08-10 . India Today . en.
  11. Web site: 2020-02-26 . SCBA condemns Justice Arun Mishra's statement describing PM Modi as an "internationally acclaimed visionary" and a "versatile genius" – The Leaflet . 2022-08-10 . theleaflet.in . en-US.
  12. Web site: https://twitter.com/yashwantsinha/status/1300388460293808128 . 2022-08-10 . Twitter . en.
  13. Web site: 2021-10-13 . This is pure 'chaplusi': Yashwant Sinha slams NHRC chief for praising Amit Shah . 2022-08-10 . The Siasat Daily . en-US.
  14. Web site: The Shadow of Haren Pandya's Case Lies Long Over Justice Arun Mishra . 2022-08-10 . The Wire.
  15. News: Prasad . N. g r . Siddhartha . K. k Ram . 2020-04-23 . Pre-retirement judgments and post-retirement jobs . en-IN . The Hindu . 2022-08-10 . 0971-751X.