Justice Chandrachud Takes Oath as New Chief Justice of India

New Delhi: Justice Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud became the the 50th Chief Justice of India today. He was administered the oath of office by President Droupadi Murmu at a ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan. He will head the Supreme Court for two years.

Justice Chandrachud, would be the first Chief Justice whose father was also one. Justice Chandrachud’s father Justice YV Chandrachud was the 16th Chief Justice of India serving from February 2, 1978, to July 11, 1985.

He succeeds Justice Uday Umesh Lalit. Justice Chandrachud became a Supreme Court judge on May 13, 2016. He has been part of several Constitution benches and landmark verdicts, including in the Ayodhya land dispute and the right to privacy.

He was also part of the benches that delivered crucial judgments like the partial striking down of Section 377 of the IPC, and the Sabarimala issue. He also headed a bench that expanded the scope of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act to deliver the facility to unmarried women.

He holds LLM and a doctorate degree from the Harvard Law School of America. He has served as a lawyer at the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court. Justice Chandrachud has served the Bombay High Court as a judge and was also the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court.