Chief Justice of India Uday Umesh Lalit appointed Justice DY Chandrachud as his successor. On Tuesday morning, he handed over a letter to Justice DY Chandrachud appointing him as the next CJI. The letter was handed over in the presence of other judges of the Supreme Court. Justice Lalit will also send a reply to the Union Law Ministry on the matter later in the day. Last week, the central government asked him to name his successor after he retires on November 8. He took charge in August, replacing Justice NV Raman.
The Law Ministry – as per protocol – writes to the CJI about a month before the proper date of retirement to ask for the name of a successor. The reply is usually sent between 28 and 30 days before the retirement date. By convention, the next in line in terms of seniority after the CJI is elected as his successor.
The Supreme Court will get its 50th Chief Justice when Justice UU Lalit retires. By then, he would have completed a 74-day tenure. Meanwhile, Justice DY Chandrachud is scheduled to retire on November 10, 2024.
Appointed as a Senior Advocate by the Supreme Court in April 2004, CJI UU Lalit was enrolled as an Advocate in June 1983. He was a member of the Legal Services Committee of the Supreme Court of India for two terms. In 2014, he was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, Justice D Y Chandrachud had earlier served as Additional Attorney General of India in 1998. He was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court in 2013. He was also associated with the Bombay High Court. In 2016, he was elevated as a judge in the Supreme Court.
