Born on June 11, 1947, in Delhi, Dr. S.Y. Quraishi joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1971. He held several strategic and key positions before becoming the 17th Chief Election Commissioner of India, the world’s largest democracy. He was appointed as the CEC on July 30, 2010, succeeding Navin Chawla, and was the first Muslim to hold this position. He stepped down from office on June 10, 2012.

Dr. Quraishi is an alumnus of St. Stephen's College, Delhi University, where he earned an M.A.