President Droupadi Murmu appointed former Supreme Court Judge Justice Abdul Nazeer as Andhra Pradesh Governor on Sunday, 12 February.
Retired recently: Justice Nazeer, who was elevated to the top court from the Karnataka High Court in 2017, retired on 4 January 2023.
Key Judgments: During his tenure at the Supreme Court, he was part of benches that decided some of the most significant cases in India's recent history - from the Ayodhya dispute to the Right to Privacy matter and the Triple Talaq case:
Ayodhya Row verdict, 2019: Part of the 5-judge constitution bench that unanimously held that the entire disputed land in Ayodhya must be handed over for the construction of Ram Mandir
Demonetisation verdict, 2023 More recently, Justice Nazeer led the Constitution bench which upheld the validity of the BJP government-led note ban
Restrictions on Free Speech of Ministers, 2023: He also led the Constitution bench which held that additional restrictions not found in Article 19(2) cannot be imposed on the right to free speech of ministers and legislators
Right to Privacy verdict, 2017 : Justice Nazeer was part of the 9-judge Constitution bench that unanimously held that the right to privacy is a Fundamental Right and is protected under Article 21 of the Constitution
Triple Talaq verdict, 2017: He was one of the two judges who had dissented with the majority view and held that Triple Talaq was constitutional. The 5-judge constitution bench had declared the practise unconstitutional by a 3:2 majority.
SC Judge Appointed As Governor in 2014: The last time a Supreme Court judge was appointed as Governor was when a former Chief Justice of India P Sathasivam became the Governor of Kerala in 2014.
Former Supreme Court judge Justice Fatima Beevi was the Governor of Tamil Nadu during 1997-2001, after she retired from the top court in 1992.
(With inputs from LiveLaw, Bar and Bench)
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