Shri Justice Ajit Prakash Shah has taken over as the new Chairman of the 20th Law Commission of India. The post of the Chairman, 20th Law Commission, had fallen vacant in the first week of last month due to the resignation of Shri Justice D. K. Jain, who had taken over as the President, National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.

Shri Justice Ajit Prakash Shah was born on 13th February, 1948 at Solapur, Maharashtra. He started practice at Solapur district Court and shifted to the Bombay High Court in the year 1977. He was Chief Justice of the High Court of Delhi from May 2008 till his retirement in February 2010. He is known for his bold judgments, especially concerning social issues, including the world-headliner July 2009 ruling that found India`s 150-year-old statute prohibiting homosexual acts (Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code) as discriminatory and, therefore, a “violation of fundamental rights”.