Justice K.G. Balakrishnan (former Chief Justice of India)

Konakuppakatil Gopinathan Balakrishnan was born on May 12, 1945, in Kaduthuruthy, Travancore, British India, into a Dalit Christian family. He enrolled as an advocate with the Kerala Bar in 1968 and went on to become one of India's most consequential judges. In 1985, he was appointed as a judge of the Kerala High Court, followed by postings to the Gujarat High Court (1997) and service as Chief Justice of both the Gujarat High Court (1998) and Madras High Court (1999). He was appointed to the Supreme Court of India in 2000.

On January 14, 2007, Balakrishnan made history as the first Dalit and the first judge from Kerala to be sworn in as the 37th Chief Justice of India. His tenure, which lasted until May 12, 2010, was one of the longest in Supreme Court history. During this period, he authored 219 judgments and sat on 787 benches, establishing a legacy in constitutional interpretation and judicial reform. His tenure was marked by significant contributions to constitutional jurisprudence, including landmark decisions on reservations, environmental protection, and public welfare.

After retiring from the Supreme Court, Balakrishnan served as Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) from June 7, 2010, to May 11, 2015, becoming the sixth and longest-serving chair of that institution. During his NHRC tenure, he revitalized the practice of regional "Camp Sittings" across different states to expedite case disposal, and organized over 40 national-level consultations on human rights issues.

In October 2022, the Government of India appointed Balakrishnan to chair a Commission of Inquiry tasked with examining the constitutional validity and implications of granting Scheduled Caste (SC) status to individuals from historically Dalit backgrounds who have converted to religions other than Hinduism, Sikhism, or Buddhism. This three-member commission, which also includes retired IAS officer Dr. Ravinder Kumar Jain and UGC member Prof. Sushma Yadav, was initially given a two-year mandate but has received multiple extensions, with its tenure currently extended through June 2026. As a Dalit Christian himself, Balakrishnan brings direct lived experience to these intersections of caste, conversion, and constitutional rights.