Justice UU Lalit to take over as the next Chief Justice of India from August 27, 2022. He will become the 49th Chief Justice of the country and the second SC Judge to be elevated from the bar. He will serve in office for 72 days before retiring on November 8, 2022.
In the process to elect the next Chief Justice of India(CJI), present CJI NV Ramana recommended Justice Uday Umesh Lalit as his successor, ahead of his tenure ending on August 26. CJI Ramana himself delivered the copy of his letter of recommendation to Justice Lalit on Thursday morning, a supreme court official said.
The process was kick-started in the aftermath of Law Minister Kiren Rijiju writing formally to CJI Ramana urging him to recommend the name of his successor on Wednesday.
Justice UU Lalit- the next CJI of India
Born on November 9, 1957, Justice Lalit served and practiced as an advocate in Bombay HC from June 1983 till December 1985. He then shifted his practice to Delhi in January 1986. In April 2004, he was chosen as the senior advocate by the Supreme Court.
After ten years in service, he got designated as the Supreme Court Judge on August 13, 2014. The Press Trust of India news report published in August 2014 asserted Lalit had a high reputation among all the judges. Also, he appeared in several high-profile criminal cases, and his clients were also high-profile politicians and film stars, the same report claimed.
UU Lalit is also claimed to be part of many landmark judgments. Among them the recent one being the “instant triple talaq” which was held illegal and constitutional by the five-judge Constitution, by a 3-2 majority. Last year in June, he became executive chairperson of the National Legal Services Authority(NALSA).
Justice Lalit will become the 49th Chief Justice of India and the second SC judge to be elevated to this prestigious position of Chief Justice of India. Before him, Justice SM Sikri became the 13th Chief Justice of India to be elevated from the bar. He served in office from January 1971 to April 1973.
Present CJI Ramana who is also the 48th CJI of India took an oath on April 24, 2021, and will retire on August 26, 2022, at the age of 65.
Justice UU Lalit who served as the SC Judge from August 13, 2014, will take over as the next Chief Justice of India from August 27. He will serve in office as the CJI for seventy-four days before retiring on November 8, 2022; i.e. less than two and a half months tenure as the CJI.
How is the Chief Justice of India Appointed?
- Chief Justice of India, which is also officially called the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India needs to be the senior Judge of the SC to be considered fit for the position.
- At the requisite time, the Union Minister of Law, Justice, and Company Affairs has to seek the recommendation of the outgoing SC Judge for the appointment of the next Chief Justice of India.
- If there’s any doubt in case of appointments, consultation with other judges can be taken. Article 124(2) of the constitution mentions the consultation with the other judges of the SC for the appointment of the Chief Justice of India.
- After the recommendation by the outgoing Chief Justice of India, the Union Minister of Law, Justice, and Company Affairs will further spit up this recommendation to the Prime Minister of India.
- After this, the Prime Minister will advise the President on the matter of appointment. The President finally appoints the Chief Justice of India.
