Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde recommended Supreme Court judge Justice NV Ramana as his successor. The CJI sent a letter to the government and handed his copy of recommendation to Justice Ramana. CJI Bobde is scheduled to retire on April 23. He was sworn in as the 47th Chief Justice of India in November 2019, and succeeded Justice Ranjan Gogoi.
The Chief Justice's recommendation comes after the government asked him to recommend his successor, as a little less than a month is left for his retirement.
Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad will pass on the CJI's recommendation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PM Modi will then advise President Kovind on the appointment.
Justice NV Ramana is the senior-most judge in the Supreme Court after CJI Bobde. His tenure would continue till August 26, 2022. Hailing from Andhra Pradesh, Justice Ramana was appointed as a permanent judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court in June 2000. Before being appointed to the Supreme Court in February 2014, he had also served as the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court.
The judge was part of the bench that ruled that internet suspension in Jammu and Kashmir should be reviewed immediately. He was also part of the panel that held that the Chief Justice's office comes under the ambit of the RTI Act.
The next Chief Justice of India is scheduled to be appointed on April 24. As per protocol, the "senior-most judge of the Supreme Court considered fit to hold the office" should be appointed to the office of the Chief Justice of India.