C. Shivappa

Justice C. Shivappa
Justice C. Shivappa
Judge of the Madras High Court
In office 28-04-1994 – 26-10-1999
Judge of the Karnataka High Court
In office 05-08-1991 – 28-04-1994
Advocate General of Karnataka
In office 10-05-1989 – 04-08-1991
Nominated by	Ramaswamy Venkataraman

C. Shivappa is a former Judge, jurist and legal scholar who majorly presided over the Criminal and Writ rosters at the High Courts of Madras and Karnataka, during his tenure as a judge. He was instrumental in significantly bringing down the crime rates in the state of Tamil Nadu during the years of 1994 to 1999.

He is most notably remembered for his courageous judgement which sentenced the then Chief Minister of the state of Tamil Nadu to jail for charges of multiple corruption cases and scams. As a practicing senior counsel, he had handled several high profile politically sensitive cases against powerful ministers of the Cabinet in the state of Karnataka. One of the most noteworthy being the 'Murder of Advocate M.A. Rasheed' where Cabinet Minister Jalappa was directly involved as the accused.

Justice Shivappa has adorned almost all the offices at the Bar. He was appointed as a Government Advocate at the age of 30. Subsequently he was appointed the Public Prosecutor for the Government of Karnataka as he started practice in Criminal Law. In 1985 he was appointed as Special Counsel to the CBI and later as the Central Government Senior Standing Counsel, where he dealt with cases relating to Excise and Duty. He was appointed as the Advocate General of Karnataka in 1989 and held office for two consecutive terms. In 1991, he was appointed as the Judge of the High Court of Karnataka and was transferred to the High Court of Madras in 1994.

Early life and background

Justice C. Shivappa was born on 11 December 1938, in Chitnahalli village, Pandavpura Taluk, Mandya, Karnataka. He hails from a wealthy and influential family of landlords and agriculturalists. He completed his primary education in a government school in the holy town of Melukote, whereas his higher education was done in Mysore. Justice Shivappa completed his legal education and obtained his law degree, as well as a master's degree from Sarada Vilas Law College, Mysore.

Career at the Bar

Justice Shivappa enrolled in the Bar on 30.10.1963 and started his initial practice at the District Court of Mandya. He later expanded his practice to Mysore and subsequently to Bangalore. He joined the Chambers of Shri B. Venkataswamy, who went on to become a Judge of the High Court of Karnataka. He was appointed as the Government Advocate for the State at the age of 30, making him one of the youngest advocates to hold that position. As he developed a keener taste towards criminal litigation, he specialized in cross-examination and prosecution. He was made the Public Prosecutor for the State in 1980. As a lawyer, he enjoyed an elite clientele of famous politicians and industrialists, such as Rajeev Gandhi, S. Bangarappa, Buta Singh, and Hari Khoday.

In 1989 he was appointed as the Advocate General for the State of Karnataka during the Government of S. Bangarappa. He served two consecutive terms and was succeeded by Shri. B.V. Acharya. He was elevated as a Judge of the Karnataka High Court on 05.08. 1991.  

Career at the bench

Justice C. Shivappa served as a Judge of the High Court of Karnataka for a period of three years, after which he was transferred to the High Court of Madras along with three other senior judges, namely Justice Shivraj V. Patil, Justice G.C. Gupta and Justice T.J. Chouta.

As a Judge of the Madras High Court, Justice Shivappa mainly presided over the Criminal roster. He was well known for his honesty, integrity, and strict discipline. The members of the Bar referred to him as 'the Terror of the Court', owing to his strict demeanor. He is most famously recognized for his judgement regarding the Cauvery Water Dispute between the states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, as well as his judgement convicting a very powerful political figure of Tamil Nadu for multiple corruption and scam cases.

Justice Shivappa, however had to resign from the post of Acting Chief Justice due to the political vendetta of the then ruling party of Tamil Nadu. Issues were fabricated by the Union Law Minister regarding the Date of Birth of the Judge, and he was asked to step down, while he was hearing the politically sensitive case of the Chief Minister.

Post retirement

Upon retirement, Justice Shivappa has retreated back to his village, where he has built a beautiful temple and ashram dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is called 'Shri Shivashaila', a temple complex which is built in a beautiful estate which expanses to over 100 acres. It is a serene environment with a river (Lokapavani) running across the property. The objective behind building the temple was to create a holistic environment where people from all walks of life could come and spend time amidst nature and spiritually awaken themselves.

He has established an educational trust which empowers and encourages rural children to take up education. The temple trust also runs a Sanskrit Gurukul which trains young children and professes Vedic culture.