Justice D Y Chandrachud, the seniormost Supreme Court judge, takes oath as 50th Chief Justice of India

NEW DELHI: Senior-most Supreme Court judge Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud on Wednesday took oath 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. His illustrious father Y V Chandrachud was the longest-serving Chief Justice of India (CJI)  and remained at the helm from February 22, 1978, to July 11, 1985.

Justice Chandrachud will serve as the CJI for two years till November 10, 2024. Supreme Court judges retire at the age of 65. He succeeds Uday Umesh Lalit, who had recommended him as his successor to the Centre on October 11.  President Draupadi Murmu had appointed him as the next CJI on October 17.

Justice Chandrachud, born on November 11, 1959, 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.

Justice Chandrachud was also part of the benches which delivered path-breaking judgements on decriminalising same-sex relations after it partially struck down Section 377 of the IPC, the validity of the Aadhaar scheme and the Sabarimala issue. 

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.