Hon'ble Mr. Justice - N.V. Ramana, Chief Justice, Supreme Court of India, New Delhi.
Sri. Basavaraj Bommai - Hon'ble Chief Minister, Government of Karnataka
Justice Mohan M Shantanagoudar was born on 05.05.1958 at Khandebagur, Hirekerur Taluk, Haveri District, Karnataka at mother’s parents place. He is from Chikkerur, Hirekerur Taluk, Haveri District, Karnataka.
Justice Mohan M Shantanagoudar was born to Late Sri. M.C Shantanagoudar and Smt. Indira Shantanagoudar. Late Sri. M.C Shantanagoudar practiced as an advocate at Dharwad for 45 years. Thereafter, he left practice voluntarily immediately after his son- Justice Mohan M Shantanagoudar’s elevation to the High Court of Karnataka. His mother was a Home Maker.
Justice Mohan M Shantanagoudar enrolled as an Advocate on 05.09.1980. He started his as an advocate at Dharwad in the year 1989 in Chambers of Sri I.G. Hiregoudar. After an year of practice with Sri. I G Hiregoudar, Justice Mohan M Shantanagoudar came to Bangalore in 1981 and started practice under Sri Shivaraj V. Patil (as His Lordship then was). In one instance prior to joining the chambers of Sri. Shivaraj V Patil, Sri. Shivaraj V Patil asked Sri. Mohan M Shantanagoudar, how he would survive in Bangalore because new lawyers make very little money and that he had left his hometown to come and settle here in Bangalore. To this the the young Mohan M Shantanagoudar replied that, said after office hours, he will work in a grocery store until practice picks up.
In May 1984 Justice Mohan M Shantanagoudar started independent practice. In a short span of time, Justice Mohan M Shantanagoudar picked up huge practice. He was a legal advisor to various educational institutions, local bodies and Co-operative Societies. He specialized in Civil, Criminal and Constitutional Matters.
Justice Mohan M Shantanagoudar was not only an active lawyer but also an active member of the Bar. He was elected the Vice Chairman of the Karnataka State Bar Council from 1991 to 1993. At a young age of 37, Justice Mohan Shantanagoudar got elected as the was Chairman of the Karnataka State Bar Council, for the period 1995-96. Under his chairmanship, the Karnataka State Bar Council conducted a mega seminar at Dharwad wherein the distinguished guests included legal stalwarts like Sri. Nani Palkivala, Sri. Ram Jethmalani, Sri. Soli Sorabjee, Sri. K K Venugopal among others.
From 1999 till January 2003 Justice Mohan M Shantanagoudar served as State Public Prosecutor of Karnataka State and defended the State in many sensational criminal appeals and Habeas Corpus petitions. He appeared on behalf of Tamil Nadu State as their advocate in the High Court of Karnataka and defended that state during 1999 to 2002.
Justice Mohan M Shantanagoudar was appointed as Additional Judge of the Karnataka High Court on 12th May 2003 and later sworn in as Permanent Judge on 24th september 2004. He was the President of Bangalore Mediation Centre and Karnataka Judicial Academy.
Justice Mohan M Shantanagoudar on transfer to the High Court of Kerala, assumed charge as Acting Chief Justice on 01st August 2016. Later, he was Sworn in as the Chief Justice of the High Court of Kerala on 22nd September 2016.
He was very attached to his mother and his grandson. He is survived by his wife: Smt. Sunita Shantanagoudar, son: Sri. Shivaprasad Shantanagoudar, Daughter: Pooja Shantanagoudar, Daughter in law: Shwetha Nagesh, Grandson: Siddhanth Shantanagoudar.
An avid traveler, whenever Justice Mohan M Shantanagoudar found time, he would travel to various parts of the country. His principle was see your country first and thereafter other parts of the world. Whenever, he would travel to other states or other countries, he would always make it a point to see the Courts of that state or country and try to understand the judicial system of that place.
Justice Mohan Shantanagoudar was known as a judge who spoke his mind. He never minced his words both in his judgements nor in his public addresses. He was also known for his sense of humour. Several of his colleagues at the bench and members of the bar have said that “Off the bench or on it, justice Shantanagoudar would often come up with a great sense of humour.
He was someone who would always encourage young junior counsels to argue. A person who showed that by hard work, diligence and sincerity nothing is impossible. If a young advocate coming from rural background can go onto achieve one of the highest posts in the country, anybody can do it provided one puts heart in it. The name Shantanagoudar has 2 parts: Shanth and Goudar. Shanth means: Calm. Goudar mens: Elder/ one who shows the path and leads it. Until the very end, he guided us, listened to us in a patient manner. We all will certainly miss the man who always led by example.
5 окт 2024
