The Supreme Court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in many legal jurisdictions.  Broadly speaking, the decisions of a supreme court are not subject to further review by any other court. Recently the supreme court of India gave many strong judgments, under Dipak Misra as chief justice of India. He is an Indian judge who served as the 45th Chief Justice of India since 28 August 2017. He proved to be a very strong chief justice and gave certain notable judgments which changed the course of Indian history. Dipak Misra retired on 2^nd October 2018 i.e. yesterday.  In his final week as chief justice, Dipak Misra has passed various judgments on important cases, ranging from the one on the constitutionality of Aadhaar to the case on the entry of women into the Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala. Apart from these, he has passed many important judgments. Hence, in this article, I would like to highlight 5 landmark judgments by Dipak Misra.

1. Sabarimala temple opens doors to women: A Hindu pilgrimage centre in Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala, the Ayyappan temple in Sabarimala clocks about 45–50 million devotees every year. Women between the ages 10 and 50, though, were kept out. On September 28, a five-bench judge comprising Justices R F Nariman, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud, and Indu Malhotra, led by CJI Dipak Misra overruled the Kerala High Court’s 27-year-old decision that restricted the entry of women into the temple. Therefore it is one of the 5 landmark judgments by Dipak Misra.
2. Supreme Court proceedings to be live streamed: “Sunlight is the best disinfectant” – stated a bench led by CJI Dipak Misra on September 26, delivering a verdict allowing live streaming of court proceedings. Cases of national and constitutional importance will be live streamed by the apex court for all citizens. The move is seen as a step towards transparency, and increasing accountability of the lawyers and judges.
3. Private companies can’t demand Aadhaar verification: A Supreme Court bench upheld the constitutional validity of Aadhaar, striking down Section 57 of the Aadhaar Act, which allowed the sharing of citizen data with private entities. The ruling means Aadhaar is mandatory only to file IT returns and for PAN allotment, and is voluntary for bank accounts, e-wallets, and school admissions.
4. Husband, not the master; adultery no longer a crime: The Supreme Court last week struck down the 158-year-old Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code. The Colonial-era law criminalised adultery, stating that a woman could be punished for adultery, as could a man who has consensual sexual intercourse with another man’s wife without his consent. The Supreme Court called the law unconstitutional because it “treats a husband as the master”. “Any provision of law affecting individual dignity and equality of women invites the wrath of the Constitution.
5. Section 377 struck down: A five-judge SC bench gave a historic, unanimous ruling on Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, decriminalizing homosexuality. The bench, terming Section 377 as ‘irrational, indefensible and manifestly arbitrary’, diluted it to exclude all kinds of adult consensual sexual behaviour. It is indeed one of the 5 landmark judgments by Dipak Misra.

Being the Chief Justice of India is no mean feat. One has to walk the fine line of balancing the law with the greater good and ensure every judgement speaks for fairness.