CJI Gogoi recommends Justice S.A. Bobde as his successor

Justice Gogoi set to retire on November 17; writes to law ministry

[FILE] Justice Ranjan Gogoi | PTI [File] Chief Justice of India Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Supreme Court of India Judge Justice S.A. Bobde in New Delhi | PTI

Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi on Friday sent a letter to the Centre recommending Justice S A Bobde, the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, as his successor. Official sources told PTI that Justice Gogoi wrote a letter to the Ministry of Law and Justice recommending Justice Bobde to be the next chief justice.

Justice Gogoi, who was sworn in as the 46th Chief Justice of India on October 3, 2018, set to retire on on November 17.

Official sources said the chief justice has gone by the convention to recommend the name of the next senior judger after him as his successor. 

Justice Gogoi as the Chief Justice has a tenure of 13 months and 15 days while Justice Bobde, who will be sworn in as CJI on November 18, will have a tenure of about 18 months.

According to the Memorandum of Procedure, which governs the appointment of members of the higher judiciary, "appointment to the office of the Chief Justice of India should be of the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court considered fit to hold the office".

Under this process, after receiving the CJI's recommendation, the law minister puts it before the prime minister who advises the president on the matter.