Former Chief Justice of India (CJI) PN Bhagwati passed away at the age of 95 years in New Delhi today. Bhagwati is survived by his wife Prabhavati Bhagwati and three daughters. Family said, the funeral will be held on June 17. <br/><br/>The 17th Chief Justice of India, Bhagwati remained on the highest judicial post between July 1985 and December 1986. He was a former Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court and was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court in July 1973.<br/><br/>As a Supreme Court judge, Bhagwati introduced the concepts of public interest litigation (PIL) and absolute liability to the Indian judicial system. <br/><br/>As a champion of PILs, he had ruled there was no need for a person to have any locus standi (the right or capacity to bring an action or to appear in a court) to knock the doors of a court on the issue of fundamental rights. He was also instrumental in furthering the cause of prisoners when he ruled that they too enjoyed fundamental rights. <br/><br/>