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Synopsis

Justice Uday Umesh Lalit has been appointed 49th Chief Justice of India. He will take oath as the top judge of the country on August 27, 2022.

Justice Lalit, who was directly elevated from the bar, took oath as a judge of the Supreme Court on August 13, 2014. His tenure as the Chief Justice of India will begin on August 27, 2022, and end on November 8, 2022. 

Having enrolled as an Advocate in June 1983, Justice Lalit has played a key part in the country’s jurisprudential journey, both as a lawyer and as a judge. He headed the bench that last month sentenced Vijay Mallya to four months’ imprisonment after convicting him for contempt of court in May 2017.

He was also part of the five-judge bench which by a 3:2 majority judgment, in August 2017, set aside the practice of Triple Talaq, which let Muslim men divorce their wives by uttering talaq three times in quick succession. 

Justice Lalit has also been very successful in his role as Executive Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA). The Prime Minister of India recently praised him for his contribution. 

Outgoing Chief Justice NV Ramana had recommended to the Centre to appoint Justice Uday Umesh Lalit - the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court - as his successor and the next CJI.

CJI Ramana is all set to retire in a few weeks, on August 26.

Notably, the Secretariat of the Chief Justice of India received a communication on August 3, 2022 at about 9.30 PM, from Minister of Law and Justice, Kiren Rijiju, requesting him to recommend the name of his successor.

Apart from sending his recommendation to the Law Minister, Justice Ramana personally handed over a copy of his letter of recommendation to Justice Lalit on August 4, 2022.