Renowned jurist, activist and Gandhian Chandrashekhar Shankar Dharmadhikari, known for his landmark judgment on human rights delivered during the Emergency, passed away in Nagpur on Thursday.
He was 91 and is survived by daughter Aruna Patil, a doctor, Justice Satyaranjan Dharmadhikari, a judge, and Ashutosh Dharmadhikari, a lawyer.
Coming from the eminent Dharmadhikari family central India – most members of which are from the legal profession, Dharmadhikari— like his father Acharya Dada Dharmadhikari and his mother Damayanti Dharmadhikari who took active part in Indian freedom movement –was a freedom fighter in his younger years.
After doing his post graduation in Arts, Dharmadhikari did graduation in law from the Nagpur University College of Law and was enrolled as an advocate with the Nagpur bench of the Bombay in October 1956. He practised as a lawyer in the Bombay High Court and Supreme Court for the next three years. Later on, he worked as an Assistant government pleader, Additional government pleaders and full-fledged government pleader with the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court till 1972.
Appointed as an Additional Judge with the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court in 1972, Dharmadhikari worked in various capacities before his retirement in November 1989. He was also the acting chief justice of the high court for some time.
In his widely appreciated judgment delivered during Emergency, Dharmadikari held that apart from the Constitutional Right, Right to Life was natural and human right and therefore, even during the Emergency, a citizen had a right to approach the High Court, as natural and human right to life cannot be taken away. He also delivered some landmark judgments on Rights of Women, tribal people, children and insane people.
Dharmadhikari, who was awarded Padma Bhushan in 2003, had authored many books in the Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati languages.
A Gandhian to the core and a man of principles, Dharmadhikari was always in khadis and spoke eloquent Hindi.
After his retirement as a judge from the high court, he worked as the chairman of the Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal and Educational Regulatory Authority in the nineties. He was also associated with the National Women’s Commission, Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation, Global Schools, Gandhi Research Foundation and Dahanu Taluka Environment Protection Authority (DTEPA).
Mourning the death of Dharmadhikari, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said: “In Dharmidhari’s death, the country has lost a highly principled man and a valuable guide for younger generations. Dharmidhkari was torchbearer of the legacy of his father Acharya Dada Dharmadhikari who was an intellectual committed to high values and societal issues. Having participated in the freedom struggle in his younger years, Dharmadhikar had taken upon himself to pass on Gandhian values to younger generation in his later years”.
In his condolence message, Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao said: “In the demise of Justice Dharmadhikari, Maharashtra has lost a staunch Gandhian and humanist. Coming from the family of freedom fighters, Justice Dharmadhikari had imbibed Gandhian values right from his childhood”.
“Having distinguished himself as one of the finest judges of the Bombay High Court, Justice Dharmadhikari was an outstanding orator and writer. He championed the cause of rural development, dignity of labour and promotion of Khadi,” the Governor said.
Rao recalled that Dharmadhikari had spoken on the theme ‘Gandhian Values’ at Raj Bhavan three months ago on Gandhi Jayanti day. “I pay my respects to the abiding memory of late Justice Dharmadhikari and convey my deepest condolences to the next of his family,” he said.