Justice Ajit Prakash Shah served as the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court from May 2008 before he retired in February 2010. Earlier he was Chief Justice of the Madras High Court. He was the Chairman of the 20th Law Commission of India. Justice Shah won international acclaim when he, as Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, delivered a historic verdict in July 2009, decriminalising homosexuality by striking down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. His rulings have brought fans and toilet doors for prisoners, low-floor buses and railway station ramps for disabled and freedom of expression for creative artistes. As Chief Justice of the Madras High Court he ushered in reforms in prisons, juvenile homes and observation homes for women. As acting Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court, he opened up a new world to toddlers living with their mothers in Mumbai’s Byculla Jail and directed the State Government to create an Anganwadi in the staff quarters. Justice Shah was the Founding Chairperson of Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC), the self-regulatory body for non-news general entertainment channels (GECs) set up by the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) from June 2011 to November 2013.
