Guwahati: Chief Justice of India UU Lalit suggested Justice DY Chandrachud to the Centre as his successor in accordance with tradition on Tuesday.
Justice Chandrachud will take over as the 50th Chief Justice of India on November 9. He will serve until November 10, 2024 after being appointed.
Last Monday, the Union Law Ministry started the process for selecting the new Chief Justice of India by requesting a recommendation from the outgoing CJI.
CJI Lalit handed over the letter naming his successor today and asked all judges to gather in the judge’s lounge at 10.15 AM.
Justice Lalit took his place following Justice NV Ramana’s retirement on August 26. CJI Lalit had a brief tenure of 74 days as the head of India’s judiciary and would demit office on November 8.
The outgoing CJI starts the process of choosing the replacement after receiving a communication from the Law ministry, in accordance with the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP), which controls the procedure of appointment of judges in the higher courts.
According to the MoP, the senior-most Supreme Court judge is deemed qualified to serve as CJI, and the opinions of the departing head of the judiciary must be consulted at the proper moment.
The MoP, however, is silent regarding the deadline for starting the process of proposing the name of the new CJI.
The Supreme Court’s second-oldest justice is Justice Chandrachud.
The father of Justice Chandrachud, Justice YV Chandrachud, served as India’s 16th Chief Justice from 2 February 1978 until 11 July 1985.
On May 13, 2016, Justice Chandrachud—who was born on November 11th, 1959—was chosen to serve as a Supreme Court justice. Prior to his nomination to the Supreme Court on October 31, 2013, he served as Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court. From March 29, 2000, till his appointment as Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court, Justice Chandrachud served as a judge on the Bombay High Court.
He had also served as Additional Solicitor General of India from 1998 until his appointment as a judge in the Bombay High Court. The Bombay High Court named him a senior counsel in June 1998.