Ajay Kumar Tripathi

Justice Ajay Kumar Tripathi (12 November 1957 – 2 May 2020) was an Indian judge and former Judicial Member of the Lokpal of India starting 23 March 2019. He was also the Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh High Court.

Early life and education Tripathi was born on 12 November 1957. He is the grandson of Late Shri Paramanand Tripathi (labour leader of Bokaro) and grandson-in-law of Late Bindeshwari Dubey (former Chief Minister of undivided Bihar). Tripathi completed his schooling from St. Xavier's School, Bokaro Steel City.

Career

Legal Practice Tripathi enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Bihar and started practicing before the Patna High Court in 1981. He also served as an Additional Advocate General for the State of Bihar, and represented the State before the Patna High Court in its litigations.

During his tenure at the Patna High Court, he also served as the Executive Chairman of the Bihar State Legal Services Authority (BSLSA), Patna. He contributed to varied events organised by the BSLSA, as its Executive Chairman.

As Chief Justice Justice Tripathi was appointed as the Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh High Court from 7 July 2018.

During his tenure as Chief Justice, he was the Patron-in-Chief of the Chhattisgarh State Judicial Academy (CSJA). He played an instrumental role in the inauguration of the new building of the CSJA in 2018.

As Judicial Member Lokpal of India On 23 March 2019 Justice Tripathi resigned as Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh High Court after being appointed as Judicial Member in the anti-corruption ombudsman, Lokpal of India. On 27 March 2019, he took oath as a Judicial Member of the Lokpal of India.

In 2019, he was honoured by the Patna High Court Association for his appointment as a Judicial Member in the first Lokpal of India.

Contribution to Legal Education Justice Tripathi was a member of the General and Academic Councils of Chanakya National Law University (CNLU) at Patna.

Personal life Justice Tripathi was an ardent golfer. Justice Tripathi, both participated and won many amateur tournaments. He died on 2 May 2020, from a cardiac arrest at the AIIMS Trauma Centre.

Legacy On 22 August 2022, the Justice Ajay Kumar Tripathi Foundation was founded in the memory of Justice Ajay Kumar Tripathi. The Foundation, a non-profit organization, aims to promote legal thought and discourse towards judicial education and legal reform. The Foundation was inaugurated on 27 November 2022, at the India International Centre, New Delhi. The occasion was also marked by the 1st Justice Ajay Kumar Tripathi Memorial Lecture.

The "Justice Ajay Kumar Tripathi Memorial Under-19 Trophy Cricket Championship" has been launched as of 2022.