S. S. Nijjar
Surinder Singh Nijjar (7 June 1949 – 26 March 2021) was a British-Indian judge who served on India's Supreme Court from 2009 to 2014. After retiring, he worked as an arbitrator.
Early life and education
Nijjar was born in Bhar Singh Pura, Punjab. His family moved to Huddersfield, England in 1962, where he completed his early education, then moved to Leeds for his A-levels. He studied law at University College London, earning an LL.B. in 1972, and was called to the Bar by Middle Temple. Facing racism in England, he returned to India to pursue his legal career.
Legal career before becoming a judge
Back in India, Nijjar began practicing in 1977 at the Punjab and Haryana High Court, focusing on constitutional, labour and commercial law. He became a Senior Advocate in 1989 and served as Additional Advocate-General for Punjab.
Judicial career
In April 1996, Nijjar was appointed as an additional judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He briefly served as an Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court (appointed 26 April 1996) and became a permanent judge there on 3 April 1998. He returned to the Punjab and Haryana High Court on 7 August 2000. He then became Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court on 7 March 2007. Nijjar was elevated to the Supreme Court of India on 17 November 2009 and retired on 6 June 2014.
Later roles and personal life
After retirement, Nijjar worked as an arbitrator and was elected Master of the Bench of Middle Temple in 2011, a position he held until his death. He had two children and passed away on 26 March 2021 in Chandigarh, India.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 03:03 (CET).