Who Is Arun Kumar Mishra? Know All About Controversial Judge Appointed As NHRC Chairman

Mishra was appointed as judge of Madhya Pradesh High Court in 1999, and also served as chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court and Calcutta High Court before being elevated to the Supreme Court in 2014.

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New Delhi: Amid the second wave of Covid-19 affecting the labourers and migrant workers, the National Human Rights Commission will welcome its new chariman Justice Arun Kumar Mishra (Retd), who will assume charge on Wednesday.

It is for the first time in its 27-year history that the government will be formally appointing someone other than a former chief justice of India. Justice Arun Kumar Mishra (Retd), who will take charge as the new chairman after the position has been lying vacant since former CJI H.L. Dattu retired in December 2020.

Justice Mishra’s tenure at the Supreme Court is associated with certain controversies, and the prominent ones include the Judge Loya case and the Prashant Bhushan contempt of court case.

Infact, Mishra went on to make a statement outside court leading to uproar where he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the International Judicial Conference held in February last year. Justice Mishra had hailed the “versatile genius” of Modi to “think globally and act locally” while delivering the vote of thanks at the session which was condemned by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) by passing a resolution.

Who’s Justice Arun Mishra?

 Born into a lawyer family, former Supreme Court Judge completed graduation in science to get a master's degree. Later he also obtained a degree in law.  Mishra started his career as a lawyer in 1978. He went on to become the youngest chairperson of Bar Council of India to be elected in 1998-99.

Later Mishra was appointed as judge of Madhya Pradesh High Court in October 1999. He also served as chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court and Calcutta High Court before being elevated to the Supreme Court on July 7, 2014.

His name has been recommended by a panel comprising PM Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Harivansh, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge.

Recently, the Supreme Court had rapped the government over delays in appointments of chairpersons, and members to various tribunals and quasi-judicial bodies in the country.

After the SC rap, the center had also notified about an interim Chairman of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), and the name of Justice Mishra was being touted as the next NHRC chairperson.

The appointments Committee had recommended the name of former SC judge Arun Kumar mishra to head the Human rights panel.