Chief Justice Of India UU Lalit Endorses Justice DY Chandrachud As Successor
Justice DY Chandrachud, who is set to become the 50th Chief Justice of India on Nov. 9, is the son of longest serving CJI YV Chandrachud.
Chief Justice of India UU Lalit has set in motion the process of appoinment of his successor by recommending the name of seniormost Supreme Court judge Justice DY Chandrachud.
The CJI handed over the copy of his letter of recommendation to Justice Chandrachud, who is set to become the 50th Chief Justice of India on Nov. 9. On Oct. 7, the government had sent a letter to Lalit, who is set to retire on November 8, to recommend his successor.
Elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court on May 13, 2016, Chandrachud is the son of longest serving CJI YV Chandrachud who was the head of the judiciary from Feb. 22, 1978 to July 11, 1985. Chandrachud would have a tenure of two years and is due to retire on Nov. 10, 2024.
Supreme Court judges retire at the age of 65.
According to the Memorandum of Procedure, which governs the process of appointment of judges in the higher judiciary, the outgoing CJI initiates the process of naming the successor after getting a communication from the law ministry.
The MoP says the seniormost judge of the Supreme Court is considered fit to hold the office of the Chief Justice of India and the views of the outgoing head of the judiciary have to be sought "at an appropriate time". The MoP, however, does not specify the time limit for the initiation of the process of recommending the name of the successor.
Justice Chandrachud has earlier served as the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court from Oct. 31, 2013. He was judge of the Bombay High Court from March 29, 2000 until his appointment as the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court. He was designated as a senior advocate by Bombay High Court in June 1998 and became India's Additional Solicitor General in the same year till his appointment as a judge.
After completing his BA with Honours in Economics from St Stephen's College, New Delhi, Justice Chandrachud did his LLB from Campus Law Centre, Delhi University, and obtained LLM degree and a Doctorate in Juridical Sciences from Harvard Law School.
He practised law at the Supreme Court and the Bombay High Court and was a visiting professor of comparative Constitutional law at the University of Mumbai.