Noted jurist and a former governor Justice (Retd.) M. Rama Jois (89) passed away on Tuesday morning. He was suffering from age-related ailments and suffered a cardiac arrest, sources close to the family said. He is survived by wife and two children.
Born in 1931 in Shivamogga, Justice Jois studied Law in Shivamogga and Bengaluru and enrolled as an advocate in 1959. He was arrested during the Emergency and spent time in Bangalore Jail with Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L. K. Advani among other political prisoners. He was appointed as a judge of Karnataka High Court in 1977. He was later appointed as chief justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Post retirement Justice Jois identified himself with BJP and was appointed as governor of Bihar and later Jharkhand by the NDA government in early 2000s. However, he had very short stints as governor. He was later elected to Rajya Sabha on a BJP ticket from the State.
A noted jurist, Justice Jois also wrote several books on various aspects of law including constitutional law. Ancient Indian law and “Bharateeya values” in modern law was an area of his special interest.
Chief Minister B. S. Yediyurappa expressed condolences and said his death had caused him great pain and prayed for the family to have strength to bear the loss.
