Justice D Y Chandrachud sworn in as 50th CJI; “Serving common people is my priority”

New Delhi, Nov. 9 (PTI): Justice Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, who was part of several Constitution benches and landmark verdicts of the Supreme Court, was on Wednesday sworn in as the 50th Chief Justice of India, stepping into the shoes of his father 44 years after he became the country’s top judge.

President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to Justice Chandrachud, the senior most judge of the Supreme court who was involved in historic judgements like on the Ayodhya issue that paved the way for the construction of a Ram Temple at the disputed site in Uttar Pradesh and Right to Privacy, at a brief ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Justice Chandrachud took the oath in English and in the name of God.

Justice Chandrachud, often referred to as DYC in legal circles and who is known for giving law a human face, began his first day as the CJI garlanding the Mahatma Gandhi statue in the Supreme Court premises.

“Serving common people is my priority. Please look forward. I will work for all the citizens of the country. Be it in technology or be it in registry…or be it in judicial reforms, I will take care of citizens in every aspect,” said Justice Chandrachud in his brief interaction with journalists as he took a round of the apex court premises.

Justice Chandrachud, who was accompanied by his wife Kalpana Das, said heading the Indian judiciary was a “great opportunity and responsibility”.

In response to a query as to how he will ensure trust of people in judiciary, he said, “I will ensure trust of citizens not only through words but through my work”.

Justice Chandrachud, who succeeded Justice UU Lalit, will be the CJI until November 10, 2024, a day before he completes 65 years. Justice Lalit had a short tenure of 74 days.

Justice Chandrachud, who had dubbed dissent the “safety valve of democracy” during an earlier court hearing, is the son of the longest serving CJI Y V Chandrachud, who held the top judicial post from February 22, 1978, to July 11, 1985. This is the first instance of a father and son occupying the highest seat of justice.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Justice Chandrachud wishing him a fruitful tenure as CJI.

“Congratulations to Dr Justice D Y Chandrachud on being sworn in as India’s Chief Justice. Wishing him a fruitful tenure ahead,” the prime minister tweeted.

Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, and Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah and Kiren Rijiju were among other dignitaries present at the oath taking ceremony

After taking a round of the apex court premises, Justice Chandrachud went inside his chamber and bowed to the Indian tricolour there.

He entered the CJI’s courtroom around 12.10 PM for hearing the matters listed for the day.

Apologies for keeping the members of the Bar wait for so long. I will try to make it a no-stress court for everyone, he said after settling on the CJI’s chair.

Lawyers including Solicitor General Tushar Mehta greeted the CJI and wished him the very best for his two-year-long tenure.

The CJI then took up the listed cases including the plea of Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan who had moved the top court against his disqualification as an MLA of Rampur assembly seat in UP due to his conviction in a hate speech matter.

He dismissed an appeal of the Tamil Nadu government against an order of the Madras High Court granting relief to a sweeper by extending him the benefit of regular appointment.

“A man served the school for 22 years. At the end of those 22 years, the person goes home without a gratuity, pension. This is the lowest strata of our society. How can the government go against a poor sweeper? The might of the government against a Safai Karamchari ! Sorry. Dismissed, he said.

The CJI led-bench, which also comprised justices Hima Kohli and J B Pardiwala, could not hear all the matters listed for hearing.

“I could not take up some cases today since we assembled late. I hope it is only once in my career that I am late since I was sworn in, the CJI said while rising for the day.

Minister Rijiju also met the new CJI and and congratulated him.

“I am looking forward to work in close coordination, and to provide support in ensuring speedy delivery of Justice to the citizens,” he tweeted after the meeting.

Counted as a judge who enriched the verdict docket’ of the apex court, Justice Chandrachud, who has played a pivotal role in digitisation of the judiciary, is viewed as sharp, articulate and forward looking.

Expected to advance judicial frontiers, he was a member of benches that delivered judgements on decriminalising part of Section 377 of the IPC that criminalises consensual unnatural sex between consenting adults and on allowing entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala temple in Kerala.

The list of important judgements in which Justice Chandrachud was a part and which settled many a debate is long.

Justice Chandrachud, born on November 11, 1959 and considered a Delhi University product who studied in St Stephen’s College and the Campus Law Centre before going to Harvard, was elevated to the top court on May 13, 2016.

He was also part of an important verdict expanding the scope of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act and the corresponding rules to include unmarried women for abortion between 20-24 weeks of pregnancy.

Justice Chandrachud, a former Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court, was among the two judges of the apex court collegium who recently objected to the method of “circulation” adopted for eliciting the views of its members on the appointment of judges to the top court.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a bench led by Justice Chandrachud passed several directions to address the miseries faced by people while terming the second wave a “national crisis”. The bench, for instance, directed the Centre to ensure supply of oxygen to hospitals across the nation for proper treatment of patients.

Known as a doer, he presided over a bench that worked five hours beyond regular working hours on September 30 this year to hear 75 cases to clear the board before the onset of the Dussehra vacation.