Justice DY Chandrachud sworn in as 50th CJI

New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday administered the oath of office to Justice D.Y. Chandrachud as the 50th Chief Justice of India.

Justice Chandrachud took the oath at a ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, which was attended by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, former Chief Justice of India U.U. Lalit, Supreme Court judges, and other dignitaries.

On October 11, former Chief Justice of India U.U. Lalit named Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, the seniormost judge in the Supreme Court, as his successor. Justice Lalit retired on November 8.

Justice Chandrachud is the son of former Supreme Court judge Y.V. Chandrachud, who was the longest-serving CJI being in office for about seven years and four months between 1978 to 1985. During his tenure, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud overturned two judgments of his father — which were related to adultery and the right to privacy.

Justice Chandrachud obtained a Ph.D. from Harvard Law School and is known as a non-conformist judge. He has played a key role in introducing virtual hearings during the Covid time, which has now become a permanent feature. He has been part of the landmark judgments on the Ayodhya title dispute, decriminalization of homosexuality, adultery, privacy, entry of women into Sabarimala, etc.

Justice Chandrachud practiced in the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court. He passed BA with honors in economics from St Stephen’s College, New Delhi, and completed his LLB from Campus Law Centre, Delhi University. He also served as the Additional Solicitor General of India from 1998 to 2000. He was first appointed as a judge of the Bombay High Court on March 29, 2000. On May 13, 2016, he was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court.

Justice Chandrachud has also served as the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court since October 31, 2013, until his elevation as an apex court judge.

Justice Chandrachud has been a visiting Professor of Comparative Constitutional Law at the University of Mumbai and at Oklahoma University School of Law, US. In June 1998, he was designated as the senior advocate by the Bombay High Court.