Jamshed Burjor Pardiwala Wiki, Age, Caste, Wife, Family, Biography & More

Jamshed Burjor Pardiwala, better known as JB Pardiwala ^[1]ThePrint, is a judge of the Supreme Court of India. On 9 May 2022, he was sworn in as the sixth Supreme Court judge from the Parsi community. He is the fourth generation legal professional in his family; his father, grandfather, and great grandfather were all lawyers.

Wiki/Biography

Jamshed Burjor Pardiwala was born on Thursday, 12 August 1965 (age 57 years; as of 2022) in Mumbai. His zodiac sign is Leo. Growing up in the town of Valsad in south Gujarat, Pardiwala did his schooling at St. Joseph High School. While in school, Pardiwala took a keen interest in sports and was a part of his school’s Tennis team. After completing his schooling, Jamshed pursued his graduation from J P Arts College, Valsad. Thereafter, he enrolled himself at the Shah Khimchandbhai Muljibhai Law College, Valsad, to pursue a degree in Law. On 18 November 1988, Jamshed received his Sanad (a charter that lawyers need to practise law), and subsequently, started his practice at the Valsad district court. ^[2]Gujarat High Court He studied in Gujarati medium throughout college and later gained proficiency in the English language.

Physical Appearance

Height (approx.): 5′ 7″

Hair Colour: Black

Eye Colour: Black

Family & Caste/Ethnicity

Jamshed Burjor Pardiwala belongs to a Parsi family. ^[3]The Hindu

Parents & Siblings

Jamshed’s father, Burjor Cawasji Pardiwala, was an Indian lawyer, who joined the Bar council in 1955. Cawasji practised law for a long time in the districts of Valsad and Navsari. He was the speaker of the 7th Gujarat Legislative Assembly from December 1989 to March 1990. As of 2022, his mother resides in Valsad, Gujarat.

Other Relatives

Jamshed’s grandfather Cawasji Navrojji Pardiwala joined the Bar Council at Valsad in 1929, and he practised there up to 1958. His great grandfather, Navrojji Bhikhaji Pardiwala, was also a lawyer. Bhikhaji began his law practice in 1894 at Valsad district court.

Career

Jamshed Burjor Pardiwala started his career as a lawyer in January 1989 by practising at the Valsad district court. He has practised in all branches of law. He practised law at the Valsad district court for around a year and then shifted to the Gujarat High Court in September 1990. He was elected as the Member of the Bar Council of Gujarat in 1994. He served there till 2000. Subsequently, he worked as a Member of the Gujarat High Court Legal Services Authority. Pardiwala was appointed as the Standing Counsel for the High Court of Gujarat and its subordinate Courts in 2002 and continued to serve the position till his elevation to the Bench in 2013. Justice Pardiwala was upraised as an Additional Judge of Gujarat High Court on 17 February 2011, and he was confirmed as the permanent judge of the Gujarat High Court on 28 January 2013. Meanwhile, he worked as the Honorary Co-Editor of Gujarat Law Herald, a publication of the Bar Council of Gujarat. He was also nominated as a Member of the Disciplinary Committee of the Bar Council of India. On 5 May 2022, a 5-member Supreme Court collegium comprising Justices U U Lalit, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud, and L Nageswara Rao headed by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana recommended the elevation of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Jamshed Burjor Pardiwala as Supreme Court judges. On 7 May 2022, Jamshed Burjor Pardiwala and Sudhanshu Dhulia were appointed as the Supreme Court judges, taking its total working strength to 34.

Jamshed Burjor Pardiwala and Sudhanshu Dhulia were sworn in as the judges of the Supreme Court in the presence of the Chief Justice of India N V Ramana. The oath-taking ceremony took place at the auditorium of the Court’s Additional Building Complex.

Major Verdicts Announced

Justice JB Pardiwala, over his tenure of 11 years as a high court judge has passed several judgements that have made the headlines.

Controversial Remarks on ‘Reservation’

In 2015, Pardiwala’s remarks on ‘reservation’ invited the wrath of several Rajya Sabha MPs. Reportedly, 58 Rajya Sabha members filed a petition to the then Vice President of India and Rajya Sabha Chairperson Mohammad Hamid Ansari asking him to initiate the impeachment proceedings against Justice Pardiwala for his unconstitutional remarks on ‘reservation’ during a case hearing of Hardik Patel, Patidar leader. During the hearing, Pardiwala called ‘Corruption’ the biggest threat to the nation and termed ‘Reservation’ as an amoeboid monster. He said,

The biggest threats, today, for the country is corruption. The countrymen should rise and fight against corruption at all levels, rather than shedding blood and indulging in violence for the reservation. The reservation has only played the role of an amoeboid monster sowing seeds of discord amongst the people. The importance of merit, in any society, cannot be understated.”

Following the petition, Jamshed expunged his remarks. Later, he deleted his remarks through a ‘speaking to minutes’ order.

Pulled Up The Gujarat Government Over its Management

In May 2020, Pardiwala lead a Division Bench that heard a public interest litigation (PIL) plea against the government of Gujarat for inappropriate handling of the Covid-19 crisis. Comparing the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital to a “dungeon” in its adjudication, the Bench showed a disagreement with the state government’s narrative that all was well. His injections compelled the Gujarat government to submit reports on action taken to help migrant labourers and patients. Later, Pardiwala was shuffled out of the Bench.

Appeal to Scrap The Marital Rape Exception

In 2018, Justice Pardiwala held that Adultery undermines a relationship’s foundation. Affirming Adultery as one of the main reasons of relationship crises around the world, he said,

The extramarital affairs are increasing in number. This is one of the highest reasons for divorce. An extramarital affair has devastating results.”

During one of his judgements, he remarked that modern marriages fixed through Facebook are bound to fail. In 2018, he spoke against marital rape during one of his judgements. Observing that ‘destructive attitude’ that promotes rape in a marriage, can be removed only by making marital rape ‘illegal,’ Pardiwala said, “The total statutory abolition of the marital rape is the first necessary step in teaching societies that dehumanised treatment of women will not be tolerated and that the marital rape is not a husband’s privilege, but rather a violent act and an injustice that must be criminalised.”

Favourites

• Sport(s): Tennis, Cricket

• Singer(s): Manna Dey, Kishore Kumar, Muhammad Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle

Facts/Trivia

• His favourite pastime includes watching cricket and listening to old Hindi songs.

• During an interview, a friend of Justice Pardiwala shared that he was a very religious and God-loving man, who believed a lot in destiny.”

• Apparently, Justice Pardiwala is in line to become the Chief Justice of India in May 2028. If he gets appointed as the Chief Justice, Pardiwala would have a tenure of two years and three months.

• During an interview, a source close to Jamshed described him as a “judge of the masses” who is “soft-spoken, gentle, and upright”.

• As of 2022, he has been a part of around 1,012 reportable judgments on varied subjects.

• Pardiwala is fondly called ‘Japu’ by his family and friends. ^[4]ThePrint

• Jamshed is known for going an extra mile for reuniting the couples and adding a ‘human touch’ to his judgements. In an interview, a senior advocate said, “when it comes to the reunion of couples who have children, he would always call them in the chambers and plead with them to not let their children suffer”.

• Justice Pardiwala has made his way to the apex court in just 11 years of being elevated as a judge. He has superseded around 48 senior judges and chief justices of high courts to become a judge of the Supreme Court. ^[5]The Times of India

• An avid cricket lover, JB Pardiwala stays updated with the scores whenever team India is playing a match.

• In addition to his judgements, many lawyers have appreciated his way of dealing with the litigants in court. In an interview, a lawyer practising in the Gujarat high court said,
  

  When he is pronouncing a judgment in which, say, the people are really poor or they don’t understand English, he goes an extra mile to explain the judgment in court in Gujarati, to let them know the repercussions of the order.”