Shen was born in
Suzhou, with family ancestry in
Jiaxing City. He received the
Jinshi or "presented scholar" degree, the highest under the
imperial examination system. Shen completed a preparation course () at
Hosei University, in
Tokyo, Japan in 1905. Shen Junru and six other intellectuals in Shanghai were arrested in 1936 by Chiang Kai-shek's government, which is known as the
Seven Gentlemen Incident. This incident caused a national crisis and the seven individuals were released only after Japan launched an invasion in the summer of 1937. During the
Second Sino-Japanese War, Shen was opposed to the
Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact, but was dissuaded from speaking out against it by
Zhou Enlai. Shen attended the first
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in 1949 and was appointed to be the first
president of the Supreme People's Court from 1949 to 1954. Shen had also served as a member of the committee of the Central People's Government, and was vice-chairman of the CPPCC National Committee from 1949 to 1963. Additionally, Shen was vice-chairman of the
Standing Committee of the National People's Congress from 1954 to 1963, and chairman of the
China Democratic League from 1956 to 1963. He was also vice-chairman of the Chinese Political and Law Studies Association (). == Death ==