NEW DELHI: Justice R.V. Raveendran, former judge of the supreme court of India, is the new chairman of the News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA), the self regulatory initiative of the News Broadcasters Association (NBA).

He succeeds justice (Retd.) J.S. Verma, chairperson of the NBSA, who passed away on 21 April after a brief illness, aged 80.

Justice Verma had been a former chief justice of India and former chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission. Verma was appointed the first Chairperson of the NBSA, a self-regulatory body set up by the NBA on 2 October 2008 and his first major challenge had been to draw up guidelines for news channels at the time of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

Justice Raveendran retired from the supreme court as a senior judge on 14 October 2011 and is presently engaged in giving lectures and writing articles on law related issues and in conducting arbitrations.

He completed his secondary education at Fort High School, Bangalore. He graduated from St. Joseph?s College, Bangalore and obtained Law Degree from Government Law College, Bangalore, in the year 1967.
 
He was enrolled as an advocate in March 1968 and practised extensively on the civil side till his elevation as a permanent judge of the Karnataka High Court in February 1993. He served as chairman of Karnataka State Legal Services Authority for several years and popularised Lok Adalats in Karnataka.

He was elevated as the chief justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court in July 2004 and as a judge of the supreme court in September 2005. Justice Raveendran has rendered several landmark decisions in the fields of Civil and Constitutional Law. He has served as the chairman of Supreme Court Legal Services Committee. As chairman of Mediation & Conciliation Project Committee, he was instrumental in developing mediation across the country.