PM Modi Congratulates Justice DY Chandrachud On Becoming India's 50th CJI

PM Modi has congratulated Justice DY Chandrachud who was sworn in as India's 50th Chief Justice on Wednesday.

PM Modi has congratulated Justice DY Chandrachud who was sworn in as India's 50th Chief Justice on Wednesday.

DY Chandrachud CJI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated Justice DY Chandrachud on becoming the 50th Chief Justice of India. PM Modi tweeted, "Congratulations to Dr. Justice DY Chandrachud on being sworn in as India’s Chief Justice. Wishing him a fruitful tenure ahead."

Congratulations to Dr. Justice DY Chandrachud on being sworn in as India’s Chief Justice. Wishing him a fruitful tenure ahead.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 9, 2022

The oath of the Office of Chief Justice of India was administered by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan. He will have a term of over two years as the 50th CJI till 10 November 2024. 

 

DY Chandrachud took the oath 44 years after his father, former Chief Justice of India YV Chandrachud became the 16th CJI from February 2, 1978, to July 11, 1985. Before becoming the CJI, DY Chandrachud has twice overturned his father's verdict- the adultery law verdict and the right to privacy as a fundamental right judgment.

Prior to his appointment to the Supreme Court as a judge on May 13, 2016, Justice Chandrachud was the Chief Justice at Allahabad High Court from October 31, 2013.

His predecessor CJI Lalit was also present. On October 11, he had recommended to the Centre Justice Chandrachud's name as his successor.

He is the son of the longest-serving CJI Y V Chandrachud, who headed the Judiciary from February 22, 1978, to July 11, 1985.

Justice Chandrachud, who calls dissent the "safety valve of democracy", was part of several Constitution benches and landmark verdicts of the top court, including on matters relating to the Ayodhya land dispute and the Right to Privacy.

He was also part of the benches that delivered path-breaking judgements on decriminalising same-sex relations after it partially struck down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, the validity of the Aadhaar scheme, and the Sabarimala issue.

Recently, a bench headed by him expanded the scope of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act and the corresponding rules to include unmarried women for abortion between 20-24 weeks of pregnancy.

A bench headed by him had also passed several directions to assuage people's miseries during the COVID-19 crisis, terming the brutal second wave of the pandemic last year a "national crisis".

Recently, Justice Chandrachud, as the senior-most judge after then CJI Lalit, was among the two judges of the apex court Collegium who had objected to the method of "circulation" adopted for eliciting views of its members on the appointment of judges to the top court.

On September 30, a bench headed by him sat till 9:10 pm, around five hours beyond the regular working hours of the apex court, to hear 75 cases to clear the board before the onset of the Dussehra vacation.

In a landmark verdict delivered in February 2020, a bench headed by him had directed that women officers in the Army be granted permanent commission and command postings, rejecting the Centre's stand of their physiological limitations as being based on "sex stereotypes" and "gender discrimination against women".

Later, the bench had also paved the way for granting permanent commission to women officers in Indian Navy, saying a level-playing field ensures that women have the opportunity to overcome "histories of discrimination".

Justice Chandrachud, who has played a pivotal role in digitisation of the judiciary, has been part of several Constitution benches.