It's Official, Justice Ranjan Gogoi Will Be Next Chief Justice Of India, To Take Office In October

After Supreme Court Chief Justice Dipak Misra recommended the Justice Ranjan Gogoi as his successor the road has been cleared for him to take charge as the 46th Chief Justice of India.

Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had recently asked Justice Misra to recommend his successor, setting in motion the process of a change of guard in the apex court.

PTI

He is likely to assume the office of the Chief Justice of India on October 3, and will continue in that position for 13 months till November 17, 2019.

Justice Gogoi who was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court in April 2012 was one of the four senior judges who held a press conference in January this year raising concerns over a number of issues.

PTI

Speculation over Justice Gogoi¡¯s appointment as the next Chief Justice of India arose after the press conference in which they criticised Justice Misra on various issues, especially the manner of allocation of cases to certain benches.

According to the Memorandum of Procedure, which governs the appointment of members of the higher judiciary, ¡°appointment to the office of the Chief Justice of India should be of the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court considered fit to hold the office¡±. It stipulates that the law minister will, at an appropriate time, seek the recommendation of the outgoing chief justice of India for the appointment of the next Chief Justice of India.

PTI

Under this process, after receiving the Chief Justice of India¡¯s recommendation, the law minister puts it before the prime minister who advises the president on the matter. ¡°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...would be made for appointment of the next Chief Justice of India,¡± the document states.