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B. V. Nagarathna Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 28, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth30 October 1962

Age60 Years

ProfessionJudge of Supreme Court of India

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseB.N. Gopala Krishna

FamilyFather - E.S. Venkataramiah; Mother - Padma Venkataramiah; Daughters - Nayantara BG and Prerna BG

B. V. Nagarathna Biography

B. V. Nagarathna is a senior Indian jurist who progressed from practice at the Karnataka bar to the High Court and, in 2021, was elevated to the Supreme C​

Early life and background

Bangalore Venkataramiah Nagarathna was born on 30 October 1962 and grew up between Bengaluru and her paternal village home in Engalaguppe Chatra in Pandavapura taluk of Mandya district, Karnataka. She comes from a legal family: her father, E.S. Venkataramiah, served as the 19th Chief Justice of India. Nagarathna completed her school education in Bengaluru and New Delhi, and went on to earn a B.A. (Hons.) in History from Jesus and Mary College, New Delhi, followed by an LL.B. from the Faculty of Law, University of Delhi.

Career

Nagarathna enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Karnataka on 28 October 1987 and began practice in Bengaluru. Over the two decades before her elevation to the bench, she built a broad civil and commercial practice that included arbitration, land acquisition, service law, family law, administrative and constitutional matters.

Her judicial career began when she was appointed an additional judge of the Karnataka High Court on 18 February 2008 and made a permanent judge on 17 February 2010. During her time on the high court she was part of benches that produced a number of important rulings on regulatory and constitutional issues. Those decisions included directions to the Union government to consider a statutory framework for broadcast media in the face of rising false news; a 2016 ruling that struck down a state lifetime vehicle taxation provision as inconsistent with Parliament’s powers; a 2017 decision about the limits of the Union Health Ministry’s power to alter pictorial warning requirements for tobacco products; and a 2019 finding that a temple, for the purposes of the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, was not a commercial establishment and therefore its employees were not entitled to gratuity under the Payments of Gratuity Act.

In 2020 a division bench including Nagarathna upheld a Karnataka government policy to standardize college admissions across universities during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure uniformity and protect students from differing procedures. In 2021 she headed a bench that set out that children should not be branded illegitimate and must receive equal protection under law.

Nagarathna also served in several administrative and committee roles, including as chair of panels supervising commercial courts, the Juvenile Justice Committee, and implementation of the POCSO Act. She took an active interest in practical reforms as an administrative judge: one example was her approval and inauguration of a creche facility at the City Civil Court Complex in Bengaluru for children of advocates and court staff.

In August 2021 the Supreme Court collegium recommended three women for elevation to the apex court; Nagarathna was among those selected. She was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of India on 26 August 2021 and took oath on 31 August 2021, joining a cohort that increased the number of sitting women judges on the court.

Notable judgments and a dissent

Across her judicial career, Nagarathna has been connected with several notable orders. Earlier in her career she ordered the federal government to examine broadcast regulation. Her high court record includes decisions on taxation, regulatory competence of the Union government, employee benefits and admission standardization. After elevation, on 2 January 2022 she recorded a public dissent from the majority in a Supreme Court judgment that upheld the 2016 demonetisation exercise, stating that records did not demonstrate an independent application of mind by the Reserve Bank of India.

Public profile

Nagarathna’s tenure on the bench brought her public attention at times beyond orders and judgments. In 2009 she was among judges who were unlawfully detained and manhandled during an agitation by advocates in Karnataka; following that episode she made public remarks defending the independence and oath of the judiciary. At her farewell from the Karnataka High Court she urged women in the profession to seek out opportunities and have faith in themselves.

Personal life

Nagarathna is married to B.N. Gopala Krishna. The couple have two daughters, Nayantara BG, who is an advocate, and Prerna BG. Her mother’s name is Padma Venkataramiah. She is Indian by nationality and is identified with the Scorpio zodiac sign.

Latest updates

As of 2022, Nagarathna is a sitting judge of the Supreme Court of India and continues to be involved in constitutional and commercial jurisprudence. Her elevation to the apex court in 2021 was part of a collegium decision notable for recommending multiple women judges for the first time, and she has been publicly recorded as taking a dissenting view in at least one high-profile Supreme Court matter since joining the court.
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Recent Work

Judge of the Supreme Court of India

Appointed to the Supreme Court on 26 August 2021; took oath on 31 August 2021 and has participated in constitutional and commercial cases, including recording a dissent on the 2016 demonetisation matter.

2021
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Career Highlights

  1. Enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Karnataka in 1987 and practised across civil, commercial and constitutional matters.
  2. Appointed additional judge of the Karnataka High Court in 2008 and became a permanent judge in 2010.
  3. Part of benches that addressed media regulation, taxation law, tobacco health warnings, gratuity law and pandemic-era standardization of college admissions.
  4. Elevated to the Supreme Court of India in August 2021 and one of the women judges who increased female representation on the bench.
  5. Recorded a noted dissent in the Supreme Court concerning the 2016 demonetisation decision.
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was B. V. Nagarathna born?

30 October 1962

What is B. V. Nagarathna known for?

Judge of Supreme Court of India

What is B. V. Nagarathna’s marital status?

Married

Who is B. V. Nagarathna married to?

B.N. Gopala Krishna