Justice DY Chandrachud becomes 50th Chief Justice of India

Justice Dhananjaya Yashwant Chandrachud, who took oath as the 50th Chief Justice of India (CJI) on Wednesday, said that his first priority would be the citizens of the country.

Addressing the media after garlanding the statue of Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, the CJI said, “Let our work speak for us. Please wait and watch for some time.”

Speaking about judicial reforms, he said priority would be given to the citizens of the country, including at the Supreme Court, Registry and technical level.

Earlier in the day, President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to Justice Chandrachud during the swearing-in ceremony held at the Durbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Soon after taking oath, CJI Chandrachud touched the feet of his mother.

The new CJI will hold office till November 10, 2024. He succeeds Justice Uday Umesh Lalit, who retired on Monday. Though Justice Lalit was due to retire on November 8, but since the courts were closed on that day on account of Guru Nanak Jayanti, he demitted the office on November 7.

Justice D.Y. Chandrachud is son of the longest serving Chief Justice of the country, Justice Yeshwant Vishnu Chandrachud.

This marks the first instance of a father-son duo heading the Indian judiciary. Y.V Chandrachud became the 16th CJI on February 22, 1978 and his son became the CJI after a gap of 44 years, 7 months and 17 days.

Born on November 11, 1959, the Junior Chandrachud graduated from St. Stephens College in Delhi with a degree in Economics and Mathematics in 1979, before obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the Faculty of Law at Delhi University in 1982.

He studied law at Delhi University at a time when there were few jobs available for law graduates. Justice Chandrachud got an LL.M degree from Harvard University in 1983, after qualifying for the Inlaks scholarship. He also received the Joseph H. Beale prize for securing highest marks in the Conflict of Laws course.

He completed his Doctorate in Juridical Sciences from Harvard and enrolled as an Advocate with the Bar Council of Maharashtra in 1997.

He became a Senior Advocate in June, 1998 at the age of 38, which was rare, as the designation was usually given to Advocates above the age of 40.

Justice Chandrachud was later appointed as the Additional Solicitor General of India, a position he held till his elevation as Judge of the Bombay High Court on March 29, 2000.

This became the turning point in the career of Justice Chandrachud, who while serving alongside Justice Ranjana Desai on a Criminal Bench, developed a ‘feminist perspective’ towards the laws and their application on social realities.

He became the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court on October 31, 2013 and held the position till his appointment as a Judge of the Supreme Court on May 13, 2016.

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