MP High Court judge pledges body to science, Rs 1 crore GPF to PM CARES

Justice Avanindra Kumar Singh of the Madhya Pradesh High Court used his farewell speech on retirement to announce two personal pledges: that he and his wife have registered to donate their bodies for scientific purposes after death, and that he will give his entire General Provident Fund (GPF) corpus to the PM CARES Fund.

Singh said the body-donation pledge was registered through a medical college two days before his retirement. He credited his wife, Indra, for both decisions, saying it was her idea to pledge their bodies and to donate his GPF to PM CARES. His voice choked with emotion as he spoke about the couple's decision.

"I believe that we serve God not only by worshipping Him, but also by taking care of all the things, big and small, that God has created on this earth," he said, explaining the couple's decision to let their bodies be used for scientific purposes after death.

On the donation, Singh said office calculations put his expected GPF payout at approximately Rs 1 crore one lakh. He pledged to hand over the entire amount to PM CARES, the public charitable trust set up to deal with public emergencies, as soon as he receives it, describing the move as "the beginning and not the end."

He also placed on record his gratitude to his wife, saying she had stood by him through thick and thin and supported him wholeheartedly at different points in his career.

Singh said retirement would mark the start of a new chapter and that he intended to keep working for society from a new platform. Looking back on a 37-year journey that included nine months on the bench, he said he had watched the judiciary evolve in its efforts to reach not only litigants who approach the courts but also citizens who cannot.

He recalled advice from a senior judge that a judge should not succumb to criticism, and that if any pressure on the mind — anger towards a party or affection for one — arises while dealing with a judicial file, the case should not be handled.

Singh retired from the Madhya Pradesh High Court on September 17 after 36 years of judicial service. His career began with his appointment as a Civil Judge Class II on May 31, 1990. Born in Etah, Uttar Pradesh, on September 18, 1964, he holds B.Sc. and LL.B. degrees.

During his district judiciary career he served at Itarsi (Narmadapuram), Bhopal, Morena, Sakti in the then Bilaspur district, Jabalpur, Ratlam, Sidhi, Katni, Indore, Khandwa and Seoni. He also served as Deputy Welfare Commissioner for Bhopal gas victims, Principal Judge of the Family Court in Jabalpur, District and Sessions Judge in Chhatarpur, Principal Registrar (ILR and Examination) of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, and Principal District and Sessions Judge in Dhar from June 2022 until his elevation to the High Court.

Justice Alpesh Yashwant Kogje, who moved from the Gujarat High Court, is the Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, having taken oath as its 30th Chief Justice on September 10, 2026.