Feb. 19: Altamas Kabir, a former Chief Justice of India, passed away this afternoon. He was 68 and is survived by wife Meena, a son and a daughter.

Justice Kabir, who was admitted to Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals with fever on February 8, had been suffering from renal problems, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and urinary tuberculosis. He had a kidney transplant in 2007.

Born in 1948, Kabir had studied at Calcutta Boys' School and Presidency College. After earning a law degree from Calcutta University, he had enrolled at the Bar in 1973. He practised in district courts as well as Calcutta High Court.

Kabir became a judge of Calcutta High Court in 1990 and chief justice of Ranchi High Court in February 2005. In December 2005 he was elevated to the Supreme Court.

He went on to become the Chief Justice of India in 2012 and retired the next year.

Of the several judgments delivered by him as chief justice, one had scrapped the common admission test for the MBBS course.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted: "Condolences on the passing of fmr CJ Altamas Kabir ji. My thoughts with his family/colleagues. India & Bengal have lost a legal luminary."

Former Supreme Court judge Asok Kumar Ganguly said: "Altamas Kabir always upheld human rights...."