VIJAYAWADA: Supreme Court judge Justice Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana was appointed as the next Chief Justice of India on Tuesday. He will be the second from Andhra Pradesh to hold the position after Koka Subba Rao from Rajamahendravaram, who served as the ninth CJI during 1966-1967.Justice Ramana would take over as the 48th CJI on April 24 after incumbent CJI SA Bobde demits office a day before. He will retire on August 26, 2022.
Secretary to Government of India Barun Mitra, in a notification issued on Tuesday, said, “In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana, Judge of the Supreme Court, to be the Chief Justice of India with effect from 24th April, 2021.” The incumbent Chief Justice had recommended Justice Ramana as his successor. The recommendation came on the day when the Supreme Court dismissed a complaint of Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy against Justice Ramana.
Justice Ramana was born on August 27, 1957 in Ponnavaram village of Krishna district and enrolled as an advocate on February 10, 1983. He was appointed as a permanent judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court on June 27, 2000, and functioned as acting chief justice of the state in 2013 from March 10 to May 20, 2013. Justice Ramana was elevated to the post of Chief Justice of Delhi High Court on September 2, 2013 and appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court on February 17, 2014.Justice N V Ramana’s appointment was hailed by members of the legal fraternity.
Senior advocate and president of Forum of Legal Professionals Kuppili Muralidhar said it is a great moment of pleasure and joy that Justice NV Ramana was appointed as the CJI. “The appointment of Justice Ramana as CJI is an honour for every Telugu across the world. Justice Ramana rightly deserves the coveted honour, and he is the right person to be elevated to the highest post at the right time. His erudition and foresight in handling a plethora of legal issues facing the country today is needed,’’ he said.
Bezawada Bar Association (BBA) former president P Lakshmi Kanth recalled Justice Ramana’s association with Krishna district and BBA, and said the next CJI is the ‘son of the soil’. Justice Ramana enrolled from the Association and started his career, he said.