Rajinder Sachar, the former chief justice of the Delhi High Court and a noted rights activist, passed away on Friday at the age of 94. He was admitted to Fortis hospital in New Delhi earlier this week where he was undergoing treatment, according to news agency PTI. His cremation will take place at 5.30 pm this evening. "He passed away at around 12 pm. He was undergoing treatment for ailments related to old age," a friend of the family was quoted as saying by PTI. Sachar served as the Chief Justice from August 6, 1985, to December 22, 1985. After retirement, he was associated with a rights group, the People's Union for Civil Liberties. Sachar was also the chairperson of a committee, set up during the previous UPA government under former prime minister Manmohan Singh, to look into the social, economic and educational condition of Muslims in India. The panel, named the Sachar Commitee, had submitted its findings in a 403-page report in Parliament in November 2006. Also read | Who was Rajinder Sachar, the activist behind Sachar Committee report? In its report, the committee had highlighted a range of disabilities faced by the community and made recommendations to address them. It found Indian Muslims below Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in backwardness. Further, it found a huge mismatch between the percentage of Muslims in the population and in decisionmaking positions such as the IAS and IPS, and the general poor representation of the community in the police.
