NEW DELHI: Justice DY Chandrachud the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court was on Wednesday sworn in as the 50th Chief Justice of India. He was administered the oath of office by President Draupadi Murmu at the majestic lawns of the Rashtrapati Bhawan here.
Justice Chandrachud will serve as the CJI for two years that is until November 10th when he will retire at the age of 65. He succeeds Uday Umesh Lalit, who had recommended him as his successor to the Centre on October 11.
Chandrachud was elevated to the top court on May 13, 2016. He has been part of several Constitution benches and landmark verdicts of the top court including on matters relating to the Ayodhya land dispute, the right to privacy, and adultery. Besides he has also been a part of the benches which delivered path-breaking judgments on decriminalizing same-sex relations after it partially struck down Section 377 of the IPC, the validity of the Aadhaar scheme, and the Sabarimala issue.
Justice Chandrachud is viewed as sharp, articulate, and forward-looking and is expected judicial frontier. Recently, a bench headed by him expanded the scope of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy(MTP) Act and the corresponding rules to include unmarried women for abortion between 20-24 weeks of pregnancy.