Justice Mahadevan to be Acting CJ of Madras HC
Senior-most judge of Madras High Court Justice R Mahadevan has been appointed as the Acting Chief Justice of the court, replacing sitting Chief Justice Sanjay V Gangapurwala who is retiring on Thursday, May 23, 2024.
A notification issued by the Department of Justice, Union Ministry of Law and Justice, on Wednesday said, “The President is pleased to appoint Justice R Mahadevan to perform the duties of the office of the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court with effect from May 24, 2024 consequent upon the retirement of Justice Sanjay V Gangapurwala, Chief Justice.”
Born on June 10, 1963 in Chennai, Justice Mahadevan completed graduation in law at the Madras Law College before enrolling as a lawyer in 1989. He had practised widely in civil, criminal and writ sides, but his area of specialisation was on tax law, including customs and central excise for a period of twenty-five years.
He had served as an Additional Government Pleader (Taxes) for the Tamil Nadu government and later as Additional Central Govt Standing Counsel and Senior Panel Counsel for the Government of India in the Madras High Court. He had conducted about 9,000 cases.
He was elevated as judge of the High Court in 2013. Known for his penchant for and erudition in Tamil literature, Justice Mahadevan is a well-known orator with the ability to quickly connect to the audience, quoting from ancient and modern literature.