NEW DELHI, Oct 11: Chief Justice of India Uday Umesh Lalit has written to the Union Government recommending the name of Justice Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, the second senior judge of the Supreme Court, as the next Chief Justice of India.
CJI Lalit handed over the letter designating the successor CJI to Justice Chandrachud today at 10.15 AM. CJI Lalit had requested all judges of the Supreme Court to assemble at the Judges’ Lounge for announcing the next CJI.
CJI Lalit is retiring with effect from November 8. Recently, the Union Minister of Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju had written to the CJI requesting him to name the successor.
If the Centre accepts the proposal of CJI Lalit, Justice Chandrachud will have a term of over two years as the 50th Chief Justice of India till November 10, 2024 – making it one of the longest terms for a CJI in the recent past.
Justice Chandrachud’s father Justice YV Chandrachud was the 16th Chief Justice of India serving from 2 February 1978 to 11 July 1985.
Justice Chandrachud is known for his liberal and progressive judgments, the most recent one being the verdict upholding the rights of unmarried women to seek abortion of pregnancy up to 24 weeks. He was part of the Constitution Benches which decriminalized consensual homosexuality, recognized privacy as a fundamental right under Article 21, decriminalized adultery. He was part of the majority which upheld the right of women of all ages to enter the Sabarimala temple. Justice Chandrachud was also a member of the 5-judge bench which decided the Ayodhya-Babri Masjid case.
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