Government Asks CJI Lalit To Name His Successor

New Delhi: The government today started the process of appointment of the next Chief Justice of India (CJI). With only a month left for CJI U U Lalit to retire, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju asks the incumbent to recommend his successor.

“As per the MoP on appointment of Chief Justice of India and Supreme Court Judges, today Hon’ble Minister of Law and Justice sent a letter to the Hon’ble CJI for sending his recommendations for appointment of his successor”, tweeted the Union Ministry of Law and Justice.

According to the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP), the appointment of members of higher judiciary should be of the senior-most judge of Supreme Court. Justice D Y Chandrachud is the second senior-most judge of the Supreme Court. If appointed, he shall have a tenure of over two years as CJI till November 10, 2024.

CJI U U Lalit shall retire on November 8 and after the recommendation process, once a new CJI is designated, the collegium headed by the ongoing CJI also freezes. This also means that by the time Justice Chandrachud takes over as CJI, the four names proposed by CJI Lalit on September 30 for appointment as judges of the Supreme Court shall have to be put on hold.