Two years ago, around this time in November, when former Chief Justice of India R S Pathak was given the responsibility of conducting an inquiry into the oil-for-food-scam on the basis of Volcker report, he had said, in his usual striking style, “I will conduct the probe with an open mind, uninfluenced by media reports.” The simple, yet characteristic remark, showed his persona of being a disciplinarian all through his life.

Justice Raghunandan Swaroop Pathak, who passed away in the Capital following a cardiac arrest on Sunday would have celebrated his 83rd birthday on November 25 this year. But fate had other plans which none could alter.

Justice Pathak, in his career, which saw a remarkable journey from a lawyer to a judge and gradually to the Chief Justice of India. Second son of Gopal Swarup Pathak, former Vice-President of the country, Justice Pathak was also one of the few Indian jurists to be appointed as a Judge at the International Court of Justice at The Hague.

A man who holds the distinction of being the youngest person to be appointed as a judge, will also be remembered for his landmark ruling in on one of the worst ‘manmade’ disasters — the Bhopal gas tragedy. As the CJI, he headed the bench that directed the US multinational Union Carbide to enter a settlement with the Indian Government, underlining that interest and welfare of lakhs of people affected by the gas leakage was paramount.

Although Justice Pathak in February 1989 refrained from issuing any directions for launching criminal proceedings against top officials of the US firm responsible for the tragedy, he did his bit in offering relief and rehabilitation to the victims by expeditiously settling the case. It was his landmark ruling wherein the Union Carbide was asked to pay $470 million as a full and final settlement to the Indian Government for payment to the victims.

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