Chief Justice of India U U Lalit has named Justice D Y Chandrachud as his successor. This comes after the Centre urged the CJI to name his successor as his term would end by November 8.
The CJI also handed over a copy of his letter of recommendation to Justice Chandrachud, reported PTI.
Earlier in the day, CJI Lalit had requested all judges to assemble in the Judges' lounge at 10.15 am when he will hand over the letter naming his successor.
Justice Chandrachud, who would be the 50th CJI, was the former Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court and a judge at the Mumbai High Court before being appointed as the judge of the Supreme Court in May 2016. He is currently serving as the executive chairman of the National Legal Services Authority. He would have a tenure of two years and is due to retire on November 10, 2024.
He has been instrumental in many notable judgements, including the recent verdict that held that single women are equally eligible to the protection of abortion laws. Justice Chandrachud's other landmark judgements include decrimilasation of adultery, upholding the right of women short service officers in Army and Navy for permanent commission and woman’s right to marry a partner of her choice.
He was also part of the bench which upheld the right of women of menstrual age to enter the Sabarimala temple and had a role in upholding privacy as a fundamental right intrinsic to life and liberty and not an 'elitist construct.' He was also part of the five-judge SC bench which decided the Ayodhya title dispute case.
Justice Chandrachud is the son of the longest-serving Chief Justice Y. V. Chandrachud.
