M RAMA JOIS

Justice Jois first hit headlines when, as a lawyer, he was a part of the legal challenge mounted by opposition parties to the India government’s action of detaining all those against imposition of Emergency under the draconian Maintenance of Internal Security Act.

After Emergency, when the Janata Party government ruled at the Centre, Jois was elevated to judgeship in the high court of Karnataka. In May 1992, he went to the Punjab and Haryana High Court as chief justice, but would stay in the post for just three months, resigning over the elevation of Justice N Venkatachala, who was junior to him, as a judge of the Supreme Court.

In June 2002, Justice Jois was appointed governor of Jharkhand by the then NDA government. From Jharkhand, he was shifted to Bihar, a post he held till October 2004, resigning after the UPA government replaced the NDA at the Centre. In June 2008, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha on a BJP nomination.