Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana on Thursday, August 4, 2022 recommended to the government the name of Justice Uday Umesh Lalit as his successor and the 49th Chief Justice of India.
Chief Justice Ramana personally handed over a copy of his letter of recommendation dated August 3 to Justice Lalit when they met for tea in the Supreme Court in the morning before court.
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Chief Justice Ramana had at 9.30 p.m. Wednesday, August 3, 2022, received a communication from Law Minister Kiren Rijiju seeking his recommendation for appointment of the next top judge.
Sources said Chief Justice Ramana recommended Justice Lalit’s name in a matter of minutes after receiving Mr. Rijiju's letter.
Chief Justice Ramana is retiring on August 26, 2022.
Justice Lalit is the senior most judge in the Supreme Court now.
The ‘Memorandum of Procedure of Appointment of Supreme Court Judges’ says “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”.
The process, according to the Memorandum, begins with the Union Law Minister seeking the recommendation of the outgoing CJI about the next appointment.
The Minister has to seek the CJI’s recommendation “at the appropriate time”. The Memorandum does not elaborate or specify a timeline.
The Memorandum says that “after receipt of the recommendation of the Chief Justice of India, the Union Minister of Law, Justice and Company Affairs will put up the recommendation to the Prime Minister who will advise the President in the matter of appointment”.
This is expected to happen shortly.
Justice Lalit, if appointed, would have a tenure of hardly three months. He retires on November 8, 2022.
