Elisha
Soon to be erstwhile CJI, Shri SA Bobde made due recommendations in favour of Justice Ramana’s name to succeed after him. Vide an official notification, Justice Ramana will take oath on 24 th of April, 2021. His revered term of office would last a duration of 16 months and eventually conclude on 26th August, 2022.
The notification issued in the Official Gazette, dated April 6, 2021. It reads as follows, “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.”
According to protocol, PK Mishra, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister and Barun Mitra, Secretary (Justice) in the Law Ministry have proffered the appointment warrant to the President for his assent this morning.
The recommendation which was made a month prior to Shri SA Bobde’s retirement collided with the day the charges levied against Justice Ramana by Andhra Pradesh CM, YS Jagan were dismissed by the Supreme Court. After an in house inquiry being carried out, the allegations were ruled out as “baseless, false, frivolous, motivated and an attempt to browbeat the judiciary”, in the words of sitting CJI, SA Bobde.
Justice Ramana had been elevated to Supreme Court in the year 2014, prior to which he was the serving Chief Justice of Delhi High Court. During his tenure at the Apex Court, Justice Ramana has sagaciously dealt with aplenty high profile matters that came his way, including heading the five- judge constitution bench which heard the outcries challenging the constitutional validity of the
Centre’s controversial decision to abrogate provisions of Article 370.