Known for his integrity, independence, and scathing attacks on those in power, Justice Bishwa Nath Agrawal, B.A., B.L. retires today. Born in 1944, Justice Agrawal enrolled as an advocate in Patna at the early age of 22. He practiced civil and constitutional law at the Patna High Court until 1986 when he was appointed as a Judge of the Patna High Court. In 1999, he was appointed as the Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court. Justice Agrawal, who turns 65 today, was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2000.

Recently, he came down heavily on the Uttar Pradesh Government for failing to follow the Court's orders regarding construction of statues and memorials of Mayawati and other Dalit leaders. The Sethusamudram case and the Buta Singh case were some of the high-profile matters he heard during his tenure in the Supreme Court.

In 2008, he had recused himself from hearing the Provident Fund Scandal matter, when former law minister and Senior Counsel Shanti Bhushan remarked that the Supreme Court was protecting corrupt judges by giving effect to an earlier ruling.

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