Justice Uday Umesh Lalit Will Be The 49th Chief Justice Of India
Justice UU Lalit will retire as the chief justice of India in November.
The President of India Droupadi Murmu has named the second senior-most judge in the Supreme Court, Justice Uday Umesh Lalit, as the next chief justice of India.
Justice Lalit will be the 49th chief justice of India and will take over from Justice NV Ramana, who retires on Aug. 26. In his tenure as a judge, he most recently presided the bench which sentenced businessman Vijay Mallya for contempt of court.
The appointment of the chief justice of India generally follows the principle of seniority and the senior-most judge after the serving CJI is appointed as the next chief justice.
In exercise of the power conferred by clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution of India, the President has appointed Justice Uday Umesh Lalit, Judge of the Supreme Court, as the Chief Justice of India. Justice Uday Umesh Lalit will take over as the 49th Chief Justice of India on Aug. 27, 2022.Statement by Ministry of Law & Justice
The name of Justice Lalit was proposed by the current Chief Justice Ramana earlier this month. Following his recommendation, the president Wednesday cleared his appointment.
Justice Lalit started his career as a lawyer in 1983 and shifted his practice to Delhi in 1986. A top lawyer of his time, Justice Lalit was among the direct appointments made from the Supreme Court bar as a judge of the highest court in 2014.
Justice Lalit, as per the government statement, will be the second chief justice of India who was directly elevated from the bar after Justice SM Sikri. Justice Sikri served as the 13th chief justice of India.
Justice Lalit will have a short tenure as the chief justice of India as he is set to retire on Nov. 8.