NEW DELHI: Justice D Y Chandrachud was on Wednesday administered the oath of office and secrecy as the 50th Chief Justice of India (CJI) by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan. He will have a tenure of two years till November 10, 2024, a day before he completes 65 years.
With his father Y V Chandrachud being the country’s longest serving CJI (1978-1985), the new CJI also entered record books as the first father-son duo at the Supreme Court’s helm in India. Justice Chandrachud began his day at the Supreme Court by garlanding the statue of Mahatma Gandhi on the premises. He and his wife also paid tribute to the national flag in his chamber.
In his first statement to the media, he said he would instill people’s faith in the SC not only by his words but also by his work. “My priority is to serve the common man, be it in terms of technology, registry and judicial reforms. We’ll consider the needs of the common man in every aspect.”
To lawyers who congratulating him for occupying the high office, he said, “I’ll try to make it no-stress court.” Appointed as SC judge in 2016, Justice Chandrachud overturned verdicts of his father in 2017 and 2018. In the famous Aadhaar ruling, he had struck a discordant note by dissenting with the majority and ruling that Aadhaar was unconstitutionally passed as money bill and was violative of fundamental rights.
Justice Chandrachud was sworn in as the 50th Chief Justice of India by President Droupadi Murmu.
He had also dissented in a case relating to the arrest of five human rights activists for allegedly incited violence at Bhima Koregaon, as the other two judges of the bench had allowed the Pune Police to continue their investigation as per law.