Justice P.N Bhagwati

Full Name: Prafullachandra Natwarlal Bhagwati

Justice Bhagwati is Chairman of the IIGEP. He is the Vice-Chairman and a member of the Human Rights Committee and a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague. Justice Bhagwati sat with distinction as Chief Justice of India from 1985-86, after serving on the bench Indian Supreme Court (1973-85), and the Gujurat High Court (1960-67). He was the youngest Judge in Indian history to be appointed Chief Justice when he was made Chief Justice of the Gujurat High Court in 1967. During his twenty-six years on the bench, he pronounced several landmark judgements and was responsible for a number of reforms which resulted in improving the access of vulnerable groups to justice. The most well known of these reforms are the introduction of public interest litigation and enlargement of the doctrine of locus standi to permit NGOs and other social action groups to initiate petitions before the Supreme Court and High Courts on behalf of disadvantaged persons whose human rights are violated.

Justice Bhagwati was born in 1921. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts in 1941 and his Bachelor of Laws in 1945, both from Bombay University. Justice Bhagwati holds many academic positions, honours and awards. Justice and Mrs Bhagwati live in New Delhi.