The Fearless Judge

One of India’s best-known judges, Justice Ahmadi was a true trailblazer. Chief Justice of India from 1994 to 1997, he was celebrated for being a ‘Citizen’s Judge’ – he fiercely safeguarded fundamental rights, upheld the tenets of the Constitution, and advocated for the swift delivery of justice. Ahmadi rose from the mofussil courts of Ahmedabad to the top position in the Supreme Court in an extraordinary career that spanned three decades. He was involved in several of independent India’s most critical cases that have shaped our jurisprudence – from Bommai, which defined the limits of central authority over state governments, and T.N. Seshan, which demarcated the powers and composition of the Election Commission, to Indira Sawhney, which shaped reservation policies, and L.Chandra Kumar, which reinforced the independence of the judiciary and separation of powers with the executive.

But it wasn’t just majority judgements that defined Ahmadi’s legacy; it was also his fearless dissenting voice.Whether challenging the government’s takeover of the disputed land in Ayodhya or rejecting the collegium system in the Second Judges case, he never shied from upholding his principles, even when it meant standing against the tide.

In The Fearless Judge, a candid yet meticulously researched biography by his granddaughter, the journalist Insiyah Vahanvaty, readers are offered a rare glimpse into the career of a formidable judge. This intimate portrait, drawn from Justice Ahmadi’s private writings, speeches and family memories, is a journey through the corridors of power, the complexities of legal reasoning, and a startlingly honest account of a man who dared to speak truth to power no matter the consequences.