Justice B V Nagarathna: Stickler for law who will break a glass ceiling

The lone dissenting voice in the demonetisation judgment, Nagarathna will be India's first woman CJI in 2027

Engalaguppe Chatra is a small, nondescript village in Karnataka’s Pandavapura taluk in Mandya district. But it has the distinction of sending to the Supreme Court at least one Chief Justice of India (CJI) – so far. One of its sons, Justice ES Venkataramiah, was CJI for six months in 1989. If all goes well, his daughter, Bangalore Venkataramiah Nagarathna (60) could become CJI in 2027 – the first woman to reach that position, though only for 36 days, but the first father-daughter duo to occupy the post.

Justice B V Nagarathna shot into the headlines with her dissenting judgment on