Former Chief Justice of India Jagdish Sharan Verma who headed a three-member panel to review anti-rape laws after the heinous December 16 gang-rape, passed away following multi-organ failure on Monday night.
Verma (80) was the Chairperson of Justice Verma Commission and made recommendations in new anti-rape laws. Most of the recommendations of this committee, which also had Gopal Subramanian and leela Seth as its members, were passed in the Parliament in March. The commission was set up to examine the laws relating to crime against women after the horrific incident of rape that had stunned the nation last year.
Justice Verma, the 27th Chief Justice of India (1997-1998), was admitted to Gurgaon’s Medanta Hospital late on Friday. He died of multiple organ failure. “He was brought in with liver failure and bleeding from stomach on Friday,” said Dr Yatin Mehta, head of the Institute of Critical Care and Anesthesiology, Medanta Medicity Hospital.
Born on January 18, 1933, Jagdish Sharan Verma had his early education in Satna, Madhya Pradesh. He began his legal career in 1955 and became a Judge of Madhya Pradesh High Court in June 1973. He became Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court in June 1986 and also served as Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court from September 1986 to mid-1989.
The architect of new anti-rape law, Justice Verma also served as the Chairperson of the News Broadcasting Standards Authority.