Quick Facts
Biography
M. N. Venkatachaliah (born 25 October 1929) was the 25th Chief Justice of India. He served as Chief Justice from 1993 to 1994. He currently serves as the Chancellor of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (Deemed University), a Modern Gurukula, a place where the teacher-student interaction occurs in the backdrop of the process of Integral Education that includes the five dimensions of: Intellectual, Cultural, Physical, Service and Devotional.and on the Advisory Board of Foundation for Restoration of National Values, a society established in 2008 that strives to restore National and Cultural Values of India.
He earned not only Bachelor in Science but also Bachelor in Law from the University of Mysore. He started practicing law in 1951. He was appointed Permanent Judge of the High Court of Karnataka on 6 November 1975. He was elevated as Judge of the Supreme Court of India on 5 October 1987. Finally, he became the 25th Chief Justice of India on 12 February 1993 and subsequently retired on 24 October 1994.
Post retirement, he has continued to work on anti-corruption and human rights issues, including support for the launch of the Initiatives of Change Centre for Governance in 2003.
He served as the Chairman of National Human Rights Commission from 1996-1998 and in 2000 he headed National Commission to review the working of the Constitution.
He is currently serving as the chancellor of the Sri Sathya Institute of Higher Learning, Prasanthi Nilayam
Honors
- Padma Vibhushan - India's Second Highest Civilian Honour from the President of India in 2004.
- Doctor of Letters (honoris causa) - Pondicherry University
- Doctor of Laws (LL.D) (honoris causa) - Manipal University
- Honorary Doctorate from Rani Channamma University, Belgaum