• Justice Uday Umesh Lalit was sworn in as the 49th Chief Justice of India (CJI).

• President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath during a brief ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

• He succeeded Justice N.V. Ramana, who retired on August 26. 

• As the CJI, Justice Lalit will have a tenure of 74 days and would demit office on November 8 on attaining the age of 65 years.

• Justice D.Y Chandrachud, the senior-most judge after Justice Lalit, is next in line to be the Chief Justice of India.

Process for appointment of CJI

• The Chief Justice of India and the judges of the Supreme Court are appointed by the President under clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution.

• According to the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP), which governs the process of appointment of judges in higher judiciary, the outgoing CJI initiates the process of naming the successor after getting a communication from the law ministry. 

• The MoP, however, does not specify the time limit for the initiation of the process of recommending the name of the successor CJI.

• Appointment to the office of the CJI should be of the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court considered fit to hold the office. 

• The Union minister of law, justice and company affairs would, at the appropriate time, seek the recommendation of the outgoing Chief Justice of India for the appointment of the next Chief Justice of India.

• Whenever there is any doubt about the fitness of the senior-most Judge to hold the office of the Chief Justice of India, consultation with other judges as envisaged in Article 124(2) of the Constitution would be made for appointment of the next Chief Justice of India.

• After receipt of the recommendation of the Chief Justice of India, the Union minister of law, justice and company affairs will put up the recommendation to the Prime Minister who will advise the President in the matter of appointment.

2nd CJI to be directly elevated to SC from the Bar

• Justice Lalit became the second CJI to be directly elevated to the apex court bench from the Bar.

• Justice S.M. Sikri, who became the 13th CJI in January 1971, was the first lawyer to be elevated directly to the top court bench in March 1964.

• Justice Lalit, born on November 9, 1957, was enrolled as an advocate in June 1983 and practised in the Bombay High Court till December 1985.  

• He later shifted base to Delhi. Lalit was designated senior lawyer by the Supreme Court in April, 2004. 

• Before being recommended to be appointed as a Supreme Court judge from the Bar, Lalit conducted the trial in 2G matters as special public prosecutor for the CBI. 

• He was appointed a Supreme Court judge on August 13, 2014.

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