 He became Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court in June 1985 and also served as Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court from September 1986 until his elevation to the Supreme Court in June 1989.He acted as the Governor of Rajasthan twice between 1986 and 1989.In June 1989, he was appointed as Judge of the Supreme Court of India, and became Chief Justice of India in January 1998.