{"id":368207,"date":"2025-11-30T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-30T05:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/?p=368207"},"modified":"2025-12-01T10:04:22","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T04:34:22","slug":"know-thy-judge-justice-satish-chandra-sharma-supreme-court-of-india-scc-times-legal-research-news-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2025\/11\/30\/know-thy-judge-justice-satish-chandra-sharma-supreme-court-of-india-scc-times-legal-research-news-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Know Thy Judge | Supreme Court of India: Justice Satish Chandra Sharma\u2019s remarkable career trajectory & notable judgments"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Born on 30-11-1961, in the culturally rich city of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, Justice Satish Chandra Sharma’s life has been a journey marked by excellence, dedication, and a relentless pursuit of justice. His illustrious career spans across various legal roles, showcasing his prowess and commitment to the legal fraternity.<\/p>\n

Early Life and Education<\/h2>\n

Justice Satish Chandra Sharma’s academic and professional foundations were laid in a family deeply rooted in education and public service. His father, Dr. B. N. Sharma, was not only a respected agriculturalist but also a renowned professor of Jabalpur University1<\/sup><\/a>, who later served as the Vice Chancellor of Barkatullah University, Bhopal. His mother, Shanti Sharma, contributed significantly to education as a school principal and later as the District Education Officer in Jabalpur.2<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Justice Sharma embarked on his educational journey at Christ Church Boys Higher Secondary School and completed his 10th and 12th standards at Central School, Jabalpur. In 1979, he enrolled in Dr. Hari Singh Gour University, Sagar, to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree. His academic prowess was evident as he graduated with distinction in three subjects in 1981.3<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Legal Journey<\/h2>\n

Awarded with the National Merit Scholarship for Post Graduate Studies, Justice Sharma chose to further pursue his education in law, in 1981, at Dr. Hari Singh Gour University, Sagar. In 1984, he graduated at the top of his class, earning his LL.B. degree with three university Gold Medals. His legal career began on 1-9-1984, when he got enrolled as an advocate.4<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Justice Sharma’s practice focused on Constitutional, Service, Civil, and Criminal matters before the High Court of Madhya Pradesh at Jabalpur. His expertise and dedication led to his appointment as Additional Central Government Counsel on 28-5-1993 and subsequently as a Senior Panel Counsel by the Government of India on 28-6-2004.5<\/sup><\/a> In a remarkable achievement, he was designated as a Senior Advocate by the High Court of Madhya Pradesh, in 2003, at the age of 42 years.<\/p>\n

*Did You Know?<\/span> In 2003, Justice Satish Chandra Sharma became one of the youngest Senior Advocates of Madhya Pradesh High Court.6<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Judicial Ascension<\/h2>\n

Justice Sharma’s judicial journey began when he was elevated as an Additional Judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on 18-1-2008. His exemplary performance led to his appointment as a Permanent Judge on 15-1-2010.7<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Known for his voracious reading habits and academic contributions, Justice Sharma has been associated with several National Law universities and serves on the Advisory Board of institutions like the National Law Institute University, Bhopal, and India International University of Legal Education and Research, Goa. His published research articles and papers attest to his commitment to legal scholarship.8<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

With his transfer to the Karnataka High Court as a Judge on 31-12-2020, Justice Sharma continued to leave an indelible mark.9<\/sup><\/a> His appointment as Acting Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court on 31-8-2021 showcased the trust placed in his capabilities.10<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Elevated as Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court on 11-10-2021, Justice Sharma’s journey took another significant turn. His dedication and leadership qualities were further recognized when he was transferred to the Delhi High Court as Chief Justice, taking the oath of office on 28-6-2022.11<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

The pinnacle of Justice Sharma’s career came when the Supreme Court collegium recommended his appointment as a Judge of the Supreme Court of India on 6-11-202312<\/sup><\/a>. He was appointed as the Judge of the Supreme Court on 9-11-202313<\/sup><\/a> and this achievement crowns a lifetime dedicated to the pursuit of justice and service of the legal system.<\/p>\n

Notable Judgments by Justice Satish Chandra Sharma in Supreme Court<\/h2>\n

“Procedure is not supposed to control justice”; SC restores conviction & sentence of men who raped a minor girl in 2016<\/a><\/p>\n

While considering a criminal appeal challenging the setting aside of the Respondents’ convictions under Sections 376(2)<\/a> of Penal Code, 1860<\/a> and Sections 4<\/a> & 6<\/a> of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012<\/a> by Patna High Court, the Division Bench of Sanjay Kumar and Satish Chandra Sharma*<\/span>, JJ., set aside the High Court’s decision and restored the Respondents’ conviction and sentence as given by the Trial Court, while pointing out that, in the present case, a fairly consistent and creditworthy case of the prosecution was discarded on basis of misapplication of procedure. The Court further pointed out that the victims often find themselves in conflict with the procedural intricacies of the laws in place. Despite the importance of procedural sanctity, it is always a matter of utter failure for the system when a culprit, that too of a heinous sexual offence, manages to walk free by entangling the victim in misapplication of procedural rules, without the knowledge of the victim and without any control of the victim.<\/p>\n

“Procedure is not supposed to control justice”.<\/p>\n

The Court further shed light on the misunderstanding of the principle of beyond reasonable doubt, stating that underlying foundation of the principle is that no innocent should face punishment for a crime that he has not done; however, a flipside of the same is that at times, owing to a misapplication of this principle, actual culprits manage to find their way out of the clutches of law.<\/p>\n

“Every instance of acquittal of an actual culprit revolt against the sense of security of the society and acts as a blot on the criminal justice system”.<\/p>\n

[X v. Y<\/span>, 2025 SCC OnLine SC 1878<\/a><\/span>]<\/p>\n

Judicial Officers with 7 years’ experience in law practice are eligible for direct appointment as District Judge\/Additional District Judge: Supreme Court<\/a><\/p>\n

In a landmark ruling, a 5-Judge Constitution Bench comprising of B.R. Gavai, CJI.*<\/span>, M.M. Sundresh, Aravind Kumar, S.C. Sharma and K. Vinod Chandran, JJ., while deciding a reference on issues related to appointment of Judicial Officers as District Judges, held the following:<\/p>\n