Justice V. Ratnam, former Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court and former Acting Governor of that State, died in Chennai on Saturday. He was 87 and battling age-related illness for quite some time, according to his family.
He is survived by his wife Padmini Ratnam, daughter Uma Ratnam Krishnan, son-in-law B.G. Krishnan and grandchildren Shreya Krishnan and Siddharth Krishnan. Born in 1932 in Chennai, he had begun his career in civil and labour law in 1955.
During his lucrative practice in the Madras High Court, he had assumed charge as an Executive Committee member of Tamil Nadu Legal Aid Board before being elevated to the Bench in 1979. He went on to serve as Acting Chief Justice of the court in 1992.
After being elevated further as the Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court during which period he had also been the Acting Governor of that State, he retired from judicial service in 1994 and chose to settle down in Chennai.
Ms. Shreya, his granddaughter, said, “In life, he lived his values of judicial aloofness and upheld the dignity and respect of his office at all times. He was a man of impeccable integrity and unimpeachable temperament. Rarely was he ever flustered.”
