Svetlanakxj at 05:56, 2 May 2026

2026-05-02T05:56:09Z

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{{Short description|Indian judge (born 1953)}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2015}}
{{Infobox Judge
| image = Justice_Kurian_Joseph.JPG
| name = Kurian Joseph
| native_name =
| image_size =
| term_start = 8 March 2013
| term_end = 29 November 2018
| office = Judge of the [[Supreme Court of India]]
| nominator = [[Altamas Kabir]]
| appointer = [[Pranab Mukherjee]]
| predecessor =
| successor =
| office2 = Chief Justice of the [[Himachal Pradesh High Court]]
| term_start2 = 8 February 2010
| term_end2 = 7 March 2013
| nominator2 = [[K. G. Balakrishnan]]
| appointer2 = [[Pratibha Patil]]
| predecessor2 =
| successor2 =
| office3 = Judge of the [[Kerala High Court]]
| term_start3 = 12 July 2000
| term_end3 = 7 February 2010
| nominator3 = [[Adarsh Sein Anand]]
| appointer3 = [[K. R. Narayanan]]
| predecessor3 =
| successor3 =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1953|11|30}}
| birth_place = 
| alma_mater = [[Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala|Mahatma Gandhi University]]<br/>[[University of Kerala]]
| death_date =
| death_place =
| spouse =
| caption = Joseph in 2009
}}

'''Kurian Joseph''' (born 30 November 1953) is a former judge of the [[Supreme Court of India]]. Previously, he has served as chief justice of the [[Himachal Pradesh High Court]] and judge of the [[Kerala High Court]].

==Early life==
Kurian Joseph was born on 30 November 1953 in Thannipuzha a village near Angamaly. He was educated at St. Joseph's U.P. School, Chengal, Kalady, St. Sebastian's High School, [[Kanjoor]]. For higher education, he attended [[Bharata Mata College]], [[Thrikkakara]] and Sree Sankara College, both affiliated colleges of [[Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala|Mahatma Gandhi University]], and [[Kerala Law Academy]], [[University of Kerala]] in [[Trivandrum]].<ref name="Himachal Pradesh Judicial Academy - patron">{{Cite web |url=http://hpsja.nic.in/patron.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=26 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130212011950/http://hpsja.nic.in/patron.pdf |archive-date=12 February 2013 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

==Career==
Joseph began his legal career in 1979.{{citation needed|date= September 2022}} He was a member of the Academic Council, [[Kerala University]] from 1977 to 1978, General Secretary of Kerala University Union in 1978, Senate member of [[Cochin University]] from 1983 to 1985, member of the Board of Studies, Indian Legal Thought of [[Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala|Mahatma Gandhi University]] in 1996, president of Kerala Judicial Academy from 2006 to 2008, chairman of Kerala High Court Legal Services committee from 2006 to 2009 and chairman of Lakshadweep Legal Services Authority in 2008.{{citation needed|date= September 2022}} He served as government pleader in 1987 and as additional advocate general from 1994 to 1996. He was designated as senior advocate in 1996.<ref name="Himachal Pradesh Judicial Academy - patron"/><ref name="Justice Kurian Joseph's profile at Kerala HC">{{Cite web |url=http://highcourtofkerala.nic.in/kurianj.html |title=Justice Kurian Joseph |access-date=26 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304083818/http://highcourtofkerala.nic.in/kurianj.html |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Joseph has also been chairman of the Indian Law Institute Kerala Branch, Chairman of Indian Law Reports (Kerala Series) and executive member of the National University of Advanced Legal Studies.<ref name="Himachal Pradesh Judicial Academy - patron"/><ref name="Justice Kurian Joseph's profile at Kerala HC"/>

In 2000, Kurian Joseph was appointed a judge of the [[Kerala High Court]]. In February 2010, he was elevated as Chief Justice of the [[Himachal Pradesh High Court]]. On 8 March 2013, he became a judge of the [[Supreme Court of India]].<ref name="Justice Kurian Joseph to be sworn in on March 8"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://barandbench.com/supreme-court-get-two-more-judges-chief-justices-andhra-pradesh-and-himachal-pradesh-be/|title=SC to get two more judges CJ of Andhra Pradesh & Himachal Pradesh|date=23 February 2013}}</ref>

Joseph believes the judiciary should play a proactive role to meet people's high expectations of the judiciary.<ref name="Justice Kurian Joseph to be sworn in on March 8">{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/new-supreme-court-judge-to-be-sworn-in-on-march-8/article4485595.ece|title=New Supreme Court judge to be sworn in on March 8|newspaper=The Hindu|date=8 March 2013|via=www.thehindu.com}}</ref>

==Notable cases==
The bench of Justice [[R. M. Lodha]], Justice [[Madan Lokur]] and Justice Joseph heard the controversial [[Indian coal allocation scam|coal allocation scam case]] and vowed to free the [[Central Bureau of Investigation]] (CBI) from any political and bureaucratic interference.<ref name="Coalgate probe: SC livid, vows to rid CBI of all interference">{{Cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Coalgate-probe-SC-livid-vows-to-rid-CBI-of-all-interference/articleshow/19812917.cms?|title=Coalgate probe: SC livid, vows to rid CBI of all interference | India News - Times of India|website=[[The Times of India]]|date=8 May 2013 }}</ref> A bench of Chief Justice Lodha, Kurian Joseph<ref>{{Citation|last=Manorama News|title=ശബരിമല വിധി ബെഞ്ചിൽ നിന്ന് കുര്യൻ ജോസഫ് ഒഴിവാക്കപ്പെട്ടോ? {{!}} Justice Kurian Joseph {{!}} Nere chovve|date=December 2018 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_-Pw8-P97w|access-date=2018-12-19}}</ref> and R. F. Nariman overruled the Afsal Guru decision on the point of admissibility of electronic evidence.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/eevidence-needs-authentication-sc/article6432863.ece|title=e-evidence needs authentication: SC|first=Krishnadas|last=Rajagopal|newspaper=The Hindu|date=22 September 2014|via=www.thehindu.com}}</ref>{{When|date=July 2021}}

On 22 August 2017, Joseph gave a verdict against the controversial [[Triple Talaq]]. In his judgement he said, "I find it extremely difficult to agree with the learned Chief Justice that the practice of triple talaq has to be considered integral to the religious denomination in question and that the same is part of their personal law...."<ref>{{Cite web|date=22 August 2017|title=This Is What Supreme Court Said In Triple Talaq Judgment [Read Judgment]|url=https://www.livelaw.in/supreme-court-said-triple-talaq-judgment-read-judgment/|website=www.livelaw.in}}</ref>

==Post retirement==
Joseph has been appointed the arbitrator on behalf of the government of Kerala in the dispute with [[Adani Group]] over the completion of Vizhinjam Port in Kerala.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Feb 22 |first1=KP Saikiran / TNN / |title=Vizhinjam port: Govt appoints Kurian Joseph as arbitrator {{!}} Kochi News - Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/vizhinjam-port-govt-appoints-kurian-joseph-as-arbitrator/articleshow/81140831.cms |work=The Times of India |language=en}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Joseph, Kurian}}
[[Category:1953 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian judges]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian lawyers]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian judges]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian lawyers]]
[[Category:Advocates general for Indian states]]
[[Category:Chief justices of the Himachal Pradesh High Court]]
[[Category:Judges of the Kerala High Court]]
[[Category:Justices of the Supreme Court of India]]
[[Category:Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, alumni]]
[[Category:Malayali people]]
[[Category:People from Ernakulam district]]
[[Category:Syro-Malabar Catholics]]
[[Category:University of Kerala alumni]]

Kurian Joseph - Revision history

Svetlanakxj at 05:56, 2 May 2026