BACKGROUND

Ashok Bhushan was born in the Jaunpur district of Uttar Pradesh in 1956. He completed his graduation in arts in 1975 and completed his law from one of the oldest universities i.e. Allahabad University in 1979. Hon’ble Mr. Justice Ashok Bhushan is a former judge of Kerala High Court, Allahabad High Court, Supreme Court and was also the 31st Chief Justice of Kerala High Court.

CAREER

Ashok Bhushan was enrolled with the bar council of India as an advocate in 1979 and practiced in the Allahabad High Court in the civil and original side until he was elevated to the bench. During his tenure as a practicing advocate in Allahabad High Court, is served as the standing counsel for several institutions such as state mineral development corporation limited, Allahabad University, banks, and other educational institutions. He was also appointed as the senior vice president of the Allahabad High Court bar association. In 2001 he was elevated as a permanent judge of the Allahabad High Court. In 2014 is served as the judge of the Kerala High Court where he took charge as the acting Chief Justice in the same year and was elevated to the position of chief justice in 2015. Next year, in 2016 he was appointed judge of the supreme court where he served till 4 July 2021.

NOTABLE JUDGEMENTS MARKETING THE JOURNEY

(1) Ram Mandir Verdict- The Supreme Court in 2019 delivered a judgment that cleared the way for the construction of Ram Mandir by directing the Centre to allot a land of 5acres for the mosque construction. Justice Ashok Bhushan was a part of a five-judge bench dealing with the matters of Ayodhya. In the case, a notable part was played by Mr. Bhushan while declining the request of Muslim parties to be taken forward to a larger bench considering the 1994 observation that mosque is not essential to practice Islam.

(2) Migrant Workers Crises – Justice Bhushan with Justice Shah issued directions to the Centre and State governments to run kitchen communities, implement one nation ration card, re-asses the entitled beneficiaries, etc., and on other issues of migrant laborers amid covid 19 pandemics.

(3) Heirs on the parental side – The bench of Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice R Subhash Reddy ruled that the heirs of the father of a female can succeed as per Section 15(1)(d) of the Hindu Succession Act and they cannot be held as strangers considering succession.
[Khushi Ram v. Nawal Singh, 2021 SCC OnLine SC 128]