Madhukar Hiralal Kania

Madhukar Hiralal Kania (18 November 1927 – 1 February 2016) was an Indian judge who served as the 23rd Chief Justice of India, serving from 13 December 1991 until his retirement on 17 November 1992. He was born in Bombay. His uncle, Sir Harilal Jekisundas Kania, was the first Chief Justice of India. As Chief Justice of India, he administered the oath of office to the 9th President of India Shankar Dayal Sharma.

Biography Kania was educated at Fellowship School, St. Xavier's High School, Elphinstone College and the Government Law College, Mumbai. He enrolled in an advocate on 1 November 1949 at Bombay High Court. He practiced mainly in civil suits and commercial matters in the High Court and the Bombay City Civil Court, Bombay. He also appeared for the state of Maharashtra in civil suits in the Bombay City Civil Court. He was Assistant Government Pleader for the State of Maharashtra in the Bombay City Civil Court from 5 December 1964 to 15 January 1967. He was government pleader for the State of Maharashtra in the Bombay City Civil Court from 16 January 1967 to 3 November 1969. He was appointed additional judge of the Bombay High Court from 14 November 1969 and as permanent Judge of that high court on 2 November 1971. In June 1986 he was appointed Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court. In May 1987, he was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of India, and became the Chief Justice of India in December 1991.

Over the course of his Supreme Court tenure, Kania authored 107 judgments and sat on 454 benches.