Justice Ranjan Gogoi to succeed Chief Justice Dipak Misra
What's the story
Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, who is set to retire next month, has recommended Justice Ranjan Gogoi's name as his successor, sticking to the seniority tradition in the Supreme Court. Interestingly, Gogoi was among the four apex court judges who held an unprecedented press conference earlier to raise concerns over the SC's administration and freedom and integrity of the judiciary. Here's more.
Details
CJI Misra set to retire on 2 October
The Union Law Ministry had reportedly sought CJI Misra's recommendation for his successor and papers, in reply, were being finalized to be sent to the Ministry. Misra, the 45th Chief Justice of India, will retire on 2 October. Justice Gogoi would retire on 17 November next year, giving him a term of more than a year as the CJI.
The Tradition
The tradition of appointing senior-most SC judge as CJI
Traditionally, except on two occasions (in 1973 and 1977), the senior most judge of the Supreme Court has been appointed as the Chief Justice of India. In 1973, however, Justice AN Ray had superseded three senior most apex court judges to become the CJI while Justice MH Beg, in 1977, was appointed the Chief Justice by superseding Justice HR Khanna.