Image Source: TAMBARAM JEYAKUMA
While directing a CBI probe into the Karur stampede, the Supreme Court on Monday formed a three-member committee led by former chief court judge Justice Ajay Rastogi to monitor the investigation. The judge has been part of various benches that gave landmark judgments.
Justice Ajay Rastogi was born on 18 June 1958. He took after his late father, Harish Chandra Rastogi, a renowned civil lawyer of the Rajasthan High Court, and became part of the bar in 1982.
While working as a bar-at-law, Justice Rastogi handled a range of cases in different fields of law but was a specialist in service law and constitutional law. He was the standing counsel for the Rajasthan High Court from 1990 until he was promoted to a judge in 2004.
He also held the office of president of the Rajasthan High Court Bar Association, Jaipur, from 1999-2000.
Following his designation as a judge of the Rajasthan High Court, he has been Executive Chairman of State Legal Services Authority from October 14, 2013, to October 18, 2016, when under his direction the authority received the National Award for three years in succession.
He became the Administrative Judge of the Rajasthan High Court on July 19, 2014, and continued to hold this office until he got promoted as Chief Justice of the Tripura High Court on March 1, 2018.
Further, he worked as Acting Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court from April 14, 2016, to May 13, 2016.
Justice Rastogi was transferred to the Supreme Court of India on November 2, 2018.
He was a member of some Constitution benches and was part of the important rulings, including:
Jallikattu verdict: He was a member of the bench which validated amendments done by Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra to the Prevention of Cruelly to Animals Act, 1960, to permit the conventional bull-taming sports of Jallikattu and Kambala, and bullock-cart racing.
Triple talaq: He was a member of the bench that reviewed laws criminalising instant triple talaq among Muslims.
The Karur stampede occurred in Tamil Nadu at a temple ceremony when a huge crowd had come to collect free gifts and offerings. Because of overcrowding and improper crowd management, individuals started pushing one another, causing a rapid stampede. A number of individuals, including women and the elderly, perished, while numerous others got injured. The disaster highlighted serious issues regarding safety arrangements at public gatherings, and so the Supreme Court directed the CBI to probe into the incident. Justice Ajay Rastogi has been assigned the task of overseeing the investigation.
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