Justice DY Chandrachud appointed as 50th Chief Justice of India

The 50th Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, took the oath of office on Wednesday at the Rashtrapati Bhavan as President Droupadi Murmu administered the Chief Justice of India’s oath of office.

Chandrachud succeeded Justice UU Lalit as the 50th CHI.  Justice Chandrachud’s term will end on November 10, 2024.

Justice Chandrachud is the second most senior judge of the Supreme Court.

Born on November 11, 1959, Justice Chandrachud was chosen to serve as a Supreme Court judge on May 13, 2016.

He is the son of the former Chief Justice of India, Y.V Chandrachud, who served as India’s 16^th CJI.

Justice Chandrachud served as the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court from October 2013 until he was elevated to the Supreme Court.

He also held the position of judge of the Bombay High Court in March 2000 until he became the Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court.

In addition, from 1998 until he was appointed a judge in the Bombay High Court, Justice Chandrachud worked as the Additional Solicitor General of India. In June 1998, the Bombay High Court appointed him as a senior attorney.

On Monday, Justice Chandrachud said he has very big-sized shoes to fill in and said he hopes to continue the good work initiated by UU Lalit. “Personally, as your successor, I am conscious that I have very big-sized shoes to fill because you have really raised the bar for the chief justice,” Justice Chandrachud said at the farewell function of UU Lalit organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association.

On the other hand, Justice Chandrachud issued precedent-setting decisions, such as decriminalising Section 377 and ruling on Aadhaar, Sabarimala, etc. Unmarried women were recently permitted for medical termination of pregnancy by a bench led by Justice Chandrachud.