Harjit Singh Bedi is a justice of the Supreme Court of India

Supreme Court of India

The Supreme Court of India is the highest judicial forum and final court of appeal as established by Part V, Chapter IV of the Constitution of India...

.

Bedi comes from a family of agriculturists from Sahiwal

Sahiwal

Sahiwal is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the administrative centre of Sahiwal District and Sahiwal Division. Sahiwal is approximately 180 km from the major city Lahore and is the city between Lahore and Multan...

 (formerly known as Montgomery), now in Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

. He is a descendant of Guru Nanak, being number 17 in the direct line. After the partition

Partition of India

The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...

 his family was settled in Fazilka

Fazilka

Fazilka is a city and a municipal council and 22nd newest district in the state of Punjab, India and recently declared as District on July 27, 2011 consisting three subdivisions Fazilka, Jalalabad and Abohar besides three sub-tehsils Arniwala Sheikh Suban, Sito Guno and Khuian Sarwar.- History...

, a small township near the India-Pakistan border. His father, Tikka Jagjit Singh Bedi, was also a judge and served on the Punjab and Haryana High Court

Punjab and Haryana High Court

Punjab and Haryana High Court is a common High Court for both the States of Punjab and Haryana and Union territory of Chandigarh, in India. It is situated at Chandigarh, the capital of the States of Punjab and Haryana. The sanctioned strenghth of this High Court is 68 judges consisting of Chief...

, retiring in 1969.

Bedi had his schooling from Bishop Cotton School

Bishop Cotton School

Bishop Cotton School, Shimla, is one of the oldest boarding school in Asia, having been founded on 28 July, 1859, by Bishop George Edward Lynch Cotton. The alumni of Bishop Cotton are known as Old Cottonians...

, Shimla

Shimla

Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...

, and did his Senior Cambridge in 1962.

He was an Advocate with the Bar Council of Punjab & Haryana beginning on 17 July 1972 and practiced civil

Civil law (common law)

Civil law, as opposed to criminal law, is the branch of law dealing with disputes between individuals or organizations, in which compensation may be awarded to the victim...

, criminal

Criminal law

Criminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...

 and writ

Writ

In common law, a writ is a formal written order issued by a body with administrative or judicial jurisdiction; in modern usage, this body is generally a court...

 matters. He was also a part time lecturer in the Department of Laws, Panjab University, Chandigarh

Chandigarh

Chandigarh is a union territory of India that serves as the capital of two states, Haryana and Punjab. The name Chandigarh translates as "The Fort of Chandi". The name is from an ancient temple called Chandi Mandir, devoted to the Hindu goddess Chandi, in the city...

 from 1974 to 1983.

Bedi was appointed as a Deputy Advocate General for Punjab

Punjab (India)

Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...

 in 1983 and was promoted to Senior Advocate in 1987. He was promoted again, to Additional Advocate General, and served in that position until 1989, when he was appointed Advocate General. He served as Punjab's Advocate General for about a year, until 1990.

He was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on 15 March 1991 and permanent Judge on 8 July 1992. He was appointed as the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court

Bombay High Court

Bombay High Court at Mumbai, Maharashtra, is the High Court of India with jurisdiction over the states of Maharashtra & Goa, and, the Union Territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli...

on 3 October 2006 and a Judge of Supreme Court of India on 12 January 2007. He is due to retire in 2011.