Justice S. Ratnavel Pandian, Retd. Judge, Supreme Court of India

Justice Pandian was Chairperson, National Commission for Backward Classes from 2006 till 2009.

National Commission for Backward Classes is a statutory body established under the National Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993 that advises the Government of India regarding inclusion and exclusion of various castes in the central list of OBCs. He served as Judge of the Supreme Court of India from 1988 till 1994. As a Judge of the highest court in India, Justice Pandian has authored and contributed substantially in laying down the law and has delivered some landmark judgements including:

Bofors case

Indra Swahney case (implementing Mandal commission report recommendations)

SR Bommai case (regulating dismissal of state governments by the Governor and imposition of President’s Rule

The Judges’ cases, that dealt with manner of appointment of Supreme Court judges and transfer of Judges or Chief Justice of the High Courts.

The first Collegium that appoints Supreme Court judges consisted of Justice S Ratnavel Pandian and two other judges of Supreme Court- Justice M N Venkatachaliah and Justice A M Ahmadi.

In 1988, Justice Pandian served as the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court.

Justice Pandian’s presence at the helm at IAS Gurukul as a Mentor ensures that the Gurukul remains focused on serving the students community and the larger society in an ethical manner and in a spirit of public service. As a Judge of the Supreme Court of India, he was an upholder of our Constitution and was driven by a desire to establish social justice in the country. At the Gurukul, his presence will ensure that the Gurukul provides quality education to maximum students and functions within the broader objective of effectively securing social justice in our country.