Yeshwant Vishnu Chandrachud

The Honourable Justice Yeshwant Vishnu Chandrachud () (12 July 1920 – 14 July 2008) served as the Chief Justice of India from February 22, 1978 to the day he retired on July 11, 1985. Born in Pune in the state of Maharashtra, he was first appointed Judge to the Supreme Court of India on August 28, 1972 and is the longest serving Chief Justice in India's history at 7 years and 4 months. His nickname was "Iron-hands" after his well regarded unwillingness to let anything slip past him.

The Habeas Corpus Case

In one of the most notable cases in Indian constitutional history, during the Indian Emergency of Indira Gandhi, a bench constituted of the five most senior judges of the Supreme court of India heard the famous Habeas Corpus case, where detenues under the restrictive Maintenance of Internal Security Act had argued that the Right to Life and Liberty (article 21 in the Indian constitution) could not be suspended even during periods of national emergency.

Despite widespread high court support for Habeas Corpus,Justice Chandrachud went along with Justices A.N. Ray, P.N. Bhagwati, and M.H. Beg, to reject this position, stating that

In view of the Presidential Order dated 27 June 1975 no person has any locus to move any writ petition under Art. 226 before a High Court for habeas corpus or any other writ or order or direction to challenge the legality of an order of detention.

The only dissenting opinion was from Justice H. R. Khanna, who...
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