New Delhi: Justice Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana was sworn in as the 48th Chief Justice of India on Saturday. The oath was administered by President Ram Nath Kovind in a small ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan following Covid restrictions.
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad were among those present at the ceremony in the national capital.
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Justice NV Ramana on Saturday took the oath in English in the name of God.
He was born in an agricultural family on August 27, 1957 in the Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh. He is the second CJI from Andhra Pradesh; the first was Justice K Subba Rao (the 9th CJI from 1966-67).
Justice Ramana previously practiced in the High Court of Andhra Pradesh, central and Andhra Pradesh Administrative Tribunals and the Supreme Court of India in civil, criminal, constitutional, labour, service, and election matters. According to his profile on the official website of the Supreme Court: "He has specialised in constitutional, criminal, service and inter-state river laws".
He was "appointed as a permanent Judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court on June 27, 2000. He functioned as acting Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh High Court from March 10, 2013 to May 20, 2013," it adds.
Justice Ramana's Verdicts
In the last few years, one of the most prominent decisions of Justice Ramna has been of restoring the internet services in Jammu and Kashmir. He also presided over the bench which ordered the creation of special courts in every state for speedy hearing of pending cases against MPs / MLAs. Justice Ramna has also been a member of the bench which gave the decision to bring the office of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court under the purview of the Right to Information Act (RTI).
A 5-judge bench headed by Justice Ramna dismissed the curative petition of the accused in the Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case. After this, the process of his hanging was cleared. On 26 November 2019, a bench headed by Justice Ramna ordered the Devendra Fadnavis government in Maharashtra to conduct a majority test in the assembly the next day. The Fadnavis government failed to prove majority paving the way for the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition governing the state currently.
6 Posts Vacant In Supreme Court
For the last 1 year, hearings are being conducted in the Supreme Court only through video conferencing. One of the main responsibilities of Justice Ramna will be to improve this system and to begin regular hearings again on the appropriate occasion. At present, 6 posts of judges are vacant in the Supreme Court. Sending recommendations to the government for their appointment will also be their priority.
NV Ramana was elevated as the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court in 2013 and then as a judge in the Supreme Court in 2014. He will remain the Chief Justice of India for a year and four months till August 26, 2022.