Justice Mehr Chand Mahajan
23 Dec 1889 - 11 Apr 1967
3rd Chief Justice of IndiaEarly Life
Mehr Chand Mahajan was born in 1889 at Tika Nagrota in the Kangra district of Punjab, British India (now in Himachal Pradesh). His father, Lala Brij Lal, was an advocate who later established a reputed legal practice at Dharamsala. After completing middle school, Mahajan went on to study at the Government College, Lahore, graduating in 1910. He initially enrolled for M.Sc. Chemistry, but switched to law following persuasion from his father. He earned his LL.B. degree in 1912.
Career as a Lawyer
Mehr Chand Mahajan started his career as a lawyer in 1913 in Dharamsala, where he spent a year practising. He spent the next four years (1914-1918) as a lawyer in Gurdaspur. He then practised law in Lahore from 1918 to 1943. During his time there, he served as President of the High Court Bar Association of Lahore from 1938 to 1943.
Prime Minister of Jammu & Kashmir
Mahajan visited Kashmir on invitation of the Maharani in September 1947 and was asked to be the Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, which he accepted. On 15 October 1947, Mahajan was appointed the Prime Minister of Jammu & Kashmir and played a pivotal role in the accession of the state to India. Jammu & Kashmir acceded to India in October 1947 and Mahajan thus became the 1st Prime Minister of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, serving in that post until 5 March 1948.
Chief Justice of India
Mahajan took office as the 3rd Chief Justice of India on 4 January 1954. He was the head of India's judicial system for almost a year, until his retirement on 22 December 1954. Before becoming Chief Justice, he served as one of the first Judges of the Supreme Court of independent India from 4 October 1948 to 3 January 1954.