Question:medium

The Chief Justice of India who passed away while in office was:

Updated On: Jul 13, 2026
  • Justice A.N. Ray
  • Justice Sabayasachi Mukharji
  • Justice J.S. Verma
  • Justice E.S. Venkataramiah
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The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

Of all the persons who have held the office of Chief Justice of India, only one is remembered as having died while still in office, so matching that fact to the right name settles the question.

  1. Justice Sabayasachi Mukharji: He took office as Chief Justice of India in 1989 and passed away in September 1990, before completing what would have been his term, making his tenure end through death rather than retirement.
  2. Justice A.N. Ray: His tenure as Chief Justice, from 1973 to 1977, ended in the ordinary way, by completing his term and retiring.
  3. Justice J.S. Verma: He served as Chief Justice from 1997 to 1998 and went on to a long post-retirement public career, showing his tenure ended by retirement, not death.
  4. Justice E.S. Venkataramiah: He held office as Chief Justice in 1989 and also completed his tenure through retirement.

Since three of the four judges are known to have retired in the normal course, and only Mukharji's term was cut short by his death, the answer follows directly.

Let's summarize:

  • Justice Sabyasachi Mukharji died in September 1990 while serving as Chief Justice of India.
  • Ray, Verma and Venkataramiah each completed their terms and retired in the ordinary course.

The correct answer is Justice Sabayasachi Mukharji.

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