Former Gujarat High Court judge and Chief Justice of the Patna High Court, Justice JN Bhatt passed away on Saturday, April 16. He was 76.

Justice Bhatt was born to a family of lawyers on October 16, 1945, at Jamnagar. He enrolled as an advocate in August 1968, and joined the office of the Government Pleader at Jamnagar in the year 1976.

He primarily practiced in civil, constitutional and labour rent legislation, as well as banking and insurance matters. He worked as a part-time law lecturer and taught Constitution Law, Jurisprudence and Commercial Law for over five years.

Justice Bhatt joined the Bench in 1977, as the youngest District Judge, then aged 31. He was also the youngest Registrar of the Gujarat High Court.

On June 21, 1990, Justice Bhatt was elevated to the Gujarat High Court as a permanent judge. He was appointed as Acting Chief Justice, a post he held for around 5 months. He was selected and recommended for the post of Chief Justice of Nauru, a country near Fiji.

Justice Bhatt was transferred as Chief Justice of the Patna High Court on July 18, 2005. After his retirement on October 16, 2007, Justice Bhatt was appointed Chairman of the Gujarat Law Commission. He also served as Chairperson of the Gujarat State Human Rights Commission.