Justice Rajiv Sharma new Chief Justice of Uttarakhand high court

NAINITAL

: Justice Rajiv Sharma, who delivered landmark orders such as granting living entity status to river Ganga and the animal kingdom, was on Monday appointed

chief justice

of

Uttarakhand high court

.



A notification issued by the Union ministry of law and justice stated that the appointment has been made after the elevation of former chief justice KM Joseph to Supreme Court.

Born in October 1958, Justice Sharma has so far decided more than 75,000 cases. He joined the Himachal Pradesh high court in 2002. He was appointed additional judge of the high court in April 2007 and became a permanent judge in March 2013. He was then transferred to Uttarakhand high court where he assumed office in September 2016.

Apart from granting living entity status to river Ganga and the animal kingdom, Sharma has delivered important judgments such as abolishing the 150-year-old patwari system in Uttarakhand and solitary confinement of death penalty convicts. He has also delivered a series of reformist orders in education, health and mental health sectors. The judge was part of the division bench which cracked down on encroachments in Dehradun and ordered the state government to remove all illegal structures within four weeks. Another of his recent judgments — again as part of a division bench — was the order that all elephants being used for joyrides and safaris in resorts and forest reserves should be rescued within 24 hours and taken under state protection.

The judge is also known for his philanthropic endeavours such as providing scholarships to underprivileged children and extending financial support to economically weak persons.