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K. G. Balakrishnan

के. जी. बालकृष्णन

Konakuppakatil Gopinathan Balakrishnan is an Indian judge who served as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India from 2007 to 2010, and later as chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission of India. He was the first judge from Kerala and the first Dalit to become the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

BORN

12 May 1945

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Key facts

Born
12 May 1945, Thalayolaparambu
State of birth
Thalayolaparambu, Kerala
Sector
Law & judiciary
Profession
37th Chief Justice of India
Gender
Male

Biography

Konakuppakatil Gopinathan Balakrishnan is an Indian judge who served as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India from 2007 to 2010, and later as chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission of India. He was the first judge from Kerala and the first Dalit to become the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He remained the only Dalit to have held the position until the elevation of Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai as Chief Justice in 2025. His tenure lasting more than three years has been one of the longest in the Supreme Court. While being Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court, he was appointed the acting governor of Gujarat from 16 January 1999 to 18 March 1999. In 2010, he was conferred with an honorary doctorate by Cochin University of Science and Technology.

Summary based on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), reviewed by the RochakDuniya editorial team.

Timeline

  1. 1945Born in Thalayolaparambu
  2. 1999Becomes Governor of Gujarat
  3. 1999Becomes Chief Justice of High Court of Madras
  4. 2007Becomes Chief Justice of India
Sources & licences Last checked against Wikidata: 27 Sep 2026
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