Islamabad, September 1:

Pakistan has appointed a Hindu, Justice Rana Bhagwandas, as the acting chief justice of the Supreme Court, though for a short period. Justice Bhagwandas will take oath as acting chief justice of Pakistan tomorrow at the Sindh bench of the Supreme Court in Karachi. The appointment comes as Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry is leaving for China on a 10-day visit. Justice Bhagwandas is the seniormost judge in the Supreme Court after the chief justice.

According to the constitution, the seniormost judge of the Supreme Court replaces the chief justice in his absence. This is the first time Chief Justice Chaudhry is going out of the country since he assumed office June 30 this year. Justice Bhagwandas is well respected in the community for his extraordinary grip on constitutional law. He is a career judge, having worked as sessions judge and later as judge of the Sindh High Court.

Born on December 20, 1942, into a Hindu family in Sindh, Justice Bhagwandas joined the Pakistan judicial service in July 1967. Besides graduation in law, Justice Bhagwandas has done his masters in Islamic Studies. Justice Bhagwandas is the second non-Muslim judge in Pakistan to reach the top position in the judiciary. Justice AR Cornelius, a Christian, had served as the chief justice from 1960-68.