President Ram Nath Kovind formally appointed Supreme Court Justice NV Ramana as the next Chief Justice of India on Tuesday (CJI). Justice Ramana will take over as the 48th Chief Justice of India on April 24, a day after incumbent CJI Sharad Arvind Bobde retires.
In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (2) of Article 124 of the Indian Constitution, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana, Judge of the Supreme Court, as Chief Justice of India with effect from April 24, 2021,” an official notification stated.
Chief Justice Bobde, who took over as the country’s top judge from Justice Ranjan Gogoi in November 2019, nominated Justice Ramana as his successor in a letter to the Union law ministry last month. The ministry asked CJI Bobde to recommend a successor in accordance with the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) for the appointment of Supreme Court judges.
According to the MoP, the position of Chief Justice of India should be filled by the senior-most judge on the Supreme Court of India who is deemed qualified. The Union law minister is required by the MoP to seek the outgoing CJI’s recommendation for the next appointee to the office.
Justice Ramana’s tenure as CJI will end on August 26, 2022, at the age of 63. In February 2014, he was appointed to the Supreme Court. Previously, the judge served as the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court.