NEW DELHI: With vacancies looming large on the judiciary, the most important challenge for the new designated Chief Justice of India Jagdish Singh Khehar would have be to carry his colleagues with him in the collegium meetings and resolve the ongoing tussle between the government and executives. Khehar will be sworn as CJI on January 4, 2017.
His first task would be to finalise the Memorandum of Procedure for appointment of judges in the higher judiciary.
The 64-year-old Justice would be the 44th Chief Justice of India. He is a hard-working man and is known for his fair and impartial attitude.
While Justice Khehar is the first lawyer in his family but his three sons have followed suit. His wife, Madhupreet Kaur Khehar, is a homemaker. His two sons, Karanveer and Barinder, practice at the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the third, Tarunveer, practices at the Delhi High Court.
While speaking to The Sunday Standard, Former Chief Justice of India R M Lodha who has worked with Justice Khehar said, “He has to first finalise the new rules for appointment of judges in the apex and high courts and then fill the vacancies in the SC. I hope he is able to resolve the ongoing tussle between the judiciary and the executive.” Justice Khehar had led the constitution bench which held the National Judicial Accountability Commission (NJAC) Act unconstitutional.
It is also possible that Justice Khehar is able to work out a solution since the new collegium headed by him will consist at least three judges, including him, who heard the NJAC case and later, asked the government to alter the MoP. SC lawyer K V Dhananjay said, “He would let you argue even if he disagrees.
He won’t lose his cool. This is the best quality a judge can have and this gives confidence to young lawyers. He makes it a point that lawyers appearing before him are fully prepared with the case at hand.”