Chandigarh, April 1
Justice (retd) SS Sodhi, a distinguished legal luminary, public servant, author and former Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court, has succeeded Mr RS Talwar, IAS (retd), as president of The Tribune Trust following a unanimous decision by the Board of Trustees. Mr Talwar will continue to be a Trustee of The Tribune Trust.

Justice Sodhi, who has been a Trustee of The Tribune Trust since 2002, is a Barrister at Law from London's Lincoln Inn with a distinguished track record as a lawyer and judge. After serving as a Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, he was elevated as Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court from where he retired. Earlier, he was in the Punjab Superior Judicial Service and held various positions, including those of District and Sessions Judge, Deputy Registrar (Research) at the Supreme Court of India, Legal Remembrancer to the Punjab Government and the Registrar of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He is the author of 'The Other Side of Justice', a path-breaking account of India's judicial system.

Justice Sodhi has held several significant posts including that of Chairperson of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). During his tenure as chairperson of TRAI, Justice Sodhi was responsible for establishing TRAI's transparent and responsive systems keeping in view the overall aim of fostering a competitive regime in a liberalised telecom sector, the main objective of which was to bring in private investment and expand tele-density. He was also the Lok Pal of Punjab. Justice Sodhi and his wife Mrs Bonny Sodhi are among the oldest residents of Chandigarh. Mrs Sodhi is a distinguished educationist and continues to contribute considerably to social causes in the city.

Mr Talwar, who joined as Trustee in 1986, is the senior-most Trustee of The Tribune Trust. He became president of The Tribune Trust in December 2007. During his tenure as President, The Tribune grew in strength, witnessed innovative changes and launched several new products which enabled it to consolidate its leadership position in the region.

Mr Talwar, a distinguished and upright member of the IAS, has held a number of important posts including Chief Secretary of Punjab. Educated at Government College, Lahore, from where he obtained an M.Sc (Honours) degree in physics with distinction, Mr Talwar had a distinguished academic career. Prior to joining the IAS, Mr Talwar joined the Royal Air Force as an officer in 1941. At the end of World War II, he was selected for the civil service and assigned to Punjab. After a distinguished service spanning over 36 years, Mr Talwar retired from the IAS in 1977. All along he held the reputation of being an officer of unimpeachable integrity.