Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sharad A. Bobde has recommended Justice N.V. Ramana for appointment as his successor and the 48th Chief Justice of India.
Chief Justice Bobde handed over the letter of recommendation to Justice Ramana on Wednesday after sending a copy to the Centre.
The Centre had recently asked Chief Justice Bobde, who is retiring on April 23, to initiate the transition to the top judicial office.
Justice Ramana will take over as CJI from April 24 after a swearing-in ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Chief Justice Bobde’s recommendation also means that the allegations levelled by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy against Justice Ramana have been categorically dismissed by the CJI.
Mr. Reddy had written a letter to the CJI shortly after a Bench led by Justice Ramana started hearing and fast-tracking hundreds of criminal cases against Ministers, legislators and politicians pending in trial courts across the country.
The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister is named in several criminal cases.
Justice Ramana will be the CJI till August 26, 2022. He was elevated as judge in the Supreme Court on February 17, 2014, when he was the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court.
Justice Ramana was born in an agricultural family on August 27, 1957, in Ponnavaram village, Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh.