Ajay Kumar Tripathi
Justice Ajay Kumar Tripathi was an Indian judge and former Judicial Member of the Lokpal of India starting 23 March 2019. He was also the Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh High Court.
Early life and education
Tripathi was born on 12 November 1957. He is the grandson of Late Shri Paramanand Tripathi and grandson-in-law of Late Bindeshwari Dubey. Tripathi completed his schooling from St. Xavier's School, Bokaro Steel City. He graduated in Economics with Honours from the reputed Shri Ram College of Commerce in 1978, and went on to read law at Campus Law Centre, Delhi University. At Campus Law Centre, he also served as the Joint Secretary of Delhi Law Faculty Students' Union in 1978-1979.Career
Legal Practice
Tripathi enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Bihar and started practicing before the Patna High Court in 1981. His areas of practice included Service Laws, Constitutional Law, Taxation, Excise and other commercial litigation. Tripathi was the Standing Counsel for the Union of India and the Income Tax Department. He also appeared on behalf of the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. Justice Tripathi also represented the Customs and Excise Department, Enforcement Directorate, Regional Provident Fund Commissioner and many Public Sector Undertakings including Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Inland Waterways Authority of India amongst others. He appeared in the Fodder Scam cases, alleging abuse of office by former Chief Minister of Bihar. He also served as an Additional Advocate General for the State of Bihar, and represented the State before the Patna High Court in its litigations.Judgeship
Justice Tripathi was elevated as an Additional Judge of the Patna High Court on 9 October 2006 and was made a permanent judge of that High Court on 21 November 2007.In 2014, SRCC awarded Justice Tripathi with the "Distinguished Alumni Award" to commemorate his professional achievements.
During his tenure at the Patna High Court, he also served as the Executive Chairman of the Bihar State Legal Services Authority, Patna. He contributed to varied events organised by the BSLSA, as its Executive Chairman.
As Chief Justice
Justice Tripathi was appointed as the Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh High Court from 7 July 2018.During his tenure as Chief Justice, he was the Patron-in-Chief of the Chhattisgarh State Judicial Academy. He played an instrumental role in the inauguration of the new building of the CSJA in 2018.
As Judicial Member Lokpal of India
On 23 March 2019 Justice Tripathi resigned as Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh High Court after being appointed as Judicial Member in the anti-corruption ombudsman, Lokpal of India. On 27 March 2019, he took oath as a Judicial Member of the Lokpal of India.In 2019, he was honoured by the Patna High Court Association for his appointment as a Judicial Member in the first Lokpal of India.
Contribution to Legal Education
Justice Tripathi was a member of the General and Academic Councils of Chanakya National Law University at Patna. He also served as a member of the Academic Council of the National Law School of India University, Bangalore. He was a Special Invitee to the Education Committee, Bar Council of India.During his tenure as the Chief Justice of Hon'ble Chhattisgarh High Court, Justice Tripathi served as the Chancellor of the Hidayatullah National Law University, Raipur.
Personal life
Justice Tripathi was an ardent golfer. He served as the President of Patna Golf Club between the years 2007-2009. Justice Tripathi, both participated and won many amateur tournaments. On invitation from the Governor of Jammu & Kashmir, Justice Tripathi led Bihar in inter-state golf tournaments at the Royal Springs Golf Club of Jammu & Kashmir.He is survived by his wife and three daughters.
Death
In April 2020, Justice Tripathi contracted COVID-19 during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in India and was placed on a ventilator in critical condition. He died on 2 May 2020, from a cardiac arrest at the AIIMS Trauma Centre.Legacy
On 22 August 2022, the Justice Ajay Kumar Tripathi Foundation was founded in the memory of Justice Ajay Kumar Tripathi. The Foundation, a non-profit organization, aims to promote legal thought and discourse towards judicial education and legal reform. The Foundation was inaugurated on 27 November 2022, at the India International Centre, New Delhi. The occasion was also marked by the 1st Justice Ajay Kumar Tripathi Memorial Lecture.The "Justice Ajay Kumar Tripathi Memorial Under-19 Trophy Cricket Championship" has been launched as of 2022.