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Alok Aradhe is an Indian lawyer, who has held many important posts in the high courts of Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Karnataka. He hit the headlines in July 2023 after the Supreme Court collegium recommended his name for the post of the Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court.
Wiki/Biography
Alok Aradhe was born on Monday, 13 April 1964 (age 59 years; as of 2023) in Raipur, Madhya Pradesh (now in Chhattisgarh), India. His zodiac sign is Aries. After completing his schooling in Madhya Pradesh, he earned a bachelor’s degree in science. Thereafter, he earned a bachelor’s degree in law.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 6″
Hair Colour: Salt and Pepper
Eye Colour: Dark Brown
Family
Parents & Siblings
There is not much information about his parents and siblings.
Wife & Children
His marital status is not known.
Career
Alok Aradhe started practising law after he enrolled as an advocate at the Madhya Pradesh High Court in Jabalpur on 12 July 1988. There, he represented his clients in cases related to civil, constitutional, arbitration, and company matters. In April 2007, he became a senior advocate at the Madhya Pradesh High Court. Thereafter, he aided Chief Justice G. P. Singh in revising the 5th and 6th editions of the book Principles of Administrative Law written by M. P. Jain and S. N. Jain. He was later appointed as a visiting faculty of the Madhya Pradesh-based Judicial Officers Training and Research Institute. He was given the position of additional judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on 29 December 2009, and on 15 February 2011, he was appointed as a permanent judge. He was sent to the Jammu and Kashmir High Court as a judge on 16 September 2016.
A photo of Alok Aradhe taken while he was taking oath as the Judge of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court
On 7 June 2017, Aradhe was appointed as the chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir State Judicial Academy.
A photo of Justice Aradhe (standing behind the podium) taken while he was serving as the chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir State Judicial Academy
On 11 May 2018, he was appointed as the acting Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. On 4 September 2018, he assumed the post of executive chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir State Legal Services Authority. On 17 November 2018, he was transferred to the Karnataka High Court, where he assumed the post of a judge.
A photo of Justice Alok Aradhe with Justice Shivraj V. Patil at a conclave in Karnataka
Following the retirement of Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court, he assumed the role of Acting Chief Justice of the same court on 3 July 2022.
A snippet of the notification issued by the Government of India regarding Alok’s appointment as the acting Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court
In August 2022, a division bench of the Karnataka High Court, under Alok Aradhe’s leadership, delivered a judgement in response to a plea filed by Manjunath S. Halawar regarding the azaan being read on the loudspeakers. In its judgement, the bench refused to issue an order to the mosques to not use loudspeakers as it “did not violate the fundamental right of people of other faiths.” However, the court issued a directive to the authorities to make sure that the rules regarding noise pollution were not being flouted. The judgement read,
Article 25 and 26 of the Constitution of India embodies the principle of toleration which is the characteristic of the Indian civilisation. Article 25(1) of the constitution confers the fundamental rights on persons to freely profess, practice and propagate their own religion. However, the aforesaid right is not an absolute right but is subject to the restrictions on the grounds of public order, morality, health as well as subject to other provisions in Part III of the Constitution of India. Contention that the contents of Azaan violate the fundamental right guaranteed to the petitioner as well the persons of other faith cannot be accepted.”
The collegium of the Supreme Court put forward Alok Aradhe’s name as a recommendation for the position of Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court in July 2023.
Salary
As per the 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC), the salary of a judge of a high court is estimated to be Rs. 2,25,000 + other allowances.
Facts/Trivia
- Alok Aradhe is a hodophile (one who likes to travel a lot) and has visited numerous places.
- Alok Aradhe passionately follows his hobby of reading.
- Alok Aradhe is an ardent follower of the teachings of the Indian spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.