Image Credits: India Today
As the successor to Justice UU Lalit, Supreme Court judge Dhananjaya Yashwant Chandrachud took the oath of office on Wednesday, according to the news agency ANI. The Chief Justice of India was sworn in at Rashtrapati Bhavan by President Droupadi Murmu. Justice Chandrachud will hold the position until November 10, 2024.
After taking the oath, Justice Chandrachud expressed his commitment to serving the nation at the Supreme Court’s Mahatma Gadhi statue.
“To serve the nation is my priority. We’ll protect all the citizens of India, be it in terms of technology or registry reforms, or judicial reforms,” the CJI said.
He assumed the position 44 years after his father, Justice YV Chandrachud, who served as the nation’s 16th Chief Justice from February 2, 1978, to July 11, 1985, assumed it.
Justice Chandrachud was Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court from October 31, 2013, until his nomination as a judge to the Supreme Court on May 13, 2016.
Justice DY Chandrachud formally takes oath as the new Chief Justice of India pic.twitter.com/JY0xdSrLEB
— ANI (@ANI) November 9, 2022
Prior to being named Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court, Justice Chandrachud, 62, served as a judge in the Bombay High Court.
In addition, from 1998 until his appointment as a judge in the Bombay High Court, he was India’s Additional Solicitor General. The Bombay High Court named him a senior counsel in June 1998.
Justice UU Lalit is replaced by Justice Chandrachud. On October 11, Justice Lalit recommended Justice DY Chandrachud to the Centre as his successor in accordance with tradition. On October 17, President Murmu chose him to be the new Chief Justice of India. Recently, the Union Law Ministry began the procedure for selecting the new Chief Justice of India, requesting a recommendation from the departing CJI.
In particular, his opinions on individual liberties have mattered. Even a married woman has her individuality, he stated in his ruling that invalidated Section 497 of the IPC for adultery. She cannot be viewed as her husband’s property. Although her having a relationship with another man may be a legitimate reason for divorce, it would be incorrect to treat it as a criminal to lock up another man.
He recently allowed unmarried women to abort their pregnancies between 20 and 24 weeks. In this historic judgement, he also stated that a wife will now be entitled to an abortion up to 24 weeks if her husband impregnated her through forced intercourse. In this manner, marital rape was officially recognised for the first time in a legal case involving abortion.
