Chandigarh, 3 August

Justice Manmohan Singh Liberhan, who headed the commission that probed the circumstances leading to the demolition of the Babri mosque at Ayodhya, died at the age of 87.

Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association President Rohit Sud said Justice Liberhan passed away here on Sunday. His last rites will be performed on Monday.

Justice Liberhan began his legal practice at the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 1964. He was elected to the Punjab and Haryana Bar Council in August 1970 and served as its member until February 11, 1987. He also served as the Bar Council's secretary from January 1976 to June 1983.

He was elevated as a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on February 11, 1987. He was appointed Chief Justice of the Madras High Court on July 7, 1997, and later became the Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court on February 28, 1998.

On December 16, 1992, Justice Liberhan was appointed head of the one-man inquiry commission into the Babri Masjid demolition.