Supreme Court judge Justice Mohan M Shantanagoudar died on Saturday at a private hospital in Gurugram, reported Bar and Bench. He was 62.

Shantanagoudar was suffering from a prolonged illness and recently got viral pneumonia. He suffered a cardiac arrest at 10.15 pm in Medanta Hospital.

The judge was admitted to the intensive care unit, PTI reported, citing unidentified officials. However, the officials did not confirm if Shantanagoudar contracted the coronavirus.

The judge had expressed his wish to be buried next to his mother, who died in July last year, his family members said.

Born on May 5, 1958, Shantanagoudar enrolled as an advocate in September 1980. He practised for one year at Dharwad in Karnataka, before shifting to Bengaluru.

On May 12, 2003, he was appointed as additional judge of the Karnataka High Court. Shantanagoudar was made a permanent judge on September 24, 2004.

He was later transferred to the Kerala High Court, where he assumed charge as the acting chief justice on August 1, 2016. Shantanagoudar was sworn in as the chief justice of Kerala High Court on September 22, 2016.

He was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court of India on February 17, 2017.

Members of the legal fraternity and many political leaders expressed their grief. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said that Shantanagoudar’s death was a big loss to the country. “May God give strength to his family members to bear this loss,” he tweeted. “May his soul rest in peace.”

Bharatiya Janata Party leader SA Ramadass said he was pained to hear about the judge’s death.