The Centre on Wednesday appointed former Supreme Court judge Hemant Gupta as the chairperson of the New Delhi International Arbitration Centre, Live Law reported.
The New Delhi International Arbitration Centre is an autonomous institution meant to conduct arbitration, mediation, and conciliation proceedings. It was established in 2019.
Justice (Retd) Gupta was part of the two-judge bench which had delivered a split verdict on a batch of petitions challenging the Karnataka government’s ban on wearing the hijab in educational institutions in September.
While Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia set aside the High Court ruling and quashed the state government’s order in his judgement, Justice Gupta had dismissed the appeals.
Justice Gupta had said that while the wearing of the hijab may or may not be an essential religious practice, personal faith cannot be carried to a secular school that is maintained by the state.
He had also dismissed the argument that hijab provides dignity to the girls, saying that the petitioners were attending an all-girls school.
Justice Gupta had added that fundamental rights are not absolute as they can be curtailed following a procedure that can withstand the test of reasonableness.
Justice Gupta was elevated to the Supreme Court on November 2, 2018. He retired on October 16, according to Live Law. He had previously been appointed as a judge in Punjab and Haryana High Court.
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