Kumar Rajarathnam (13 March 1942 – 27 September 2015) was an IndianBarrister and former Chief Justice of theMadhya Pradesh High Court. He became the first barrister since theIndependence of India to be appointed a judge.[1]
Rajarathnam studied atLoyola College, Chennai and was called to the Bar fromGray's lnn.[citation needed] He was enrolled as an advocate on 10 March 1971 and started his lawyer career in theMadras High Court.[citation needed] On 1 January 1994 he was appointed a judge of Madras High Court. Justice Rajarathnam was transferred to theKarnataka High Court on 24 January 1994. He was elevated to the post of Chief Justice of theMadhya Pradesh High Court in September 2003.[2][3] Rajarathnam retired in 2004 and became the second Chairman of theSecurities Appellate Tribunal in Mumbai from 20 March 2004 to 20 December 2005.[4] In 2015, he died in Chennai at the age of 73.[1]