Newly sworn-in Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud on Wednesday, November 9 said that serving the people of the country was his “priority”. Immediately after the swearing-in ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the 50th CJI reached the Supreme Court premises and paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi.
“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,” he said. CJI Chandrachud said heading the Indian judiciary was a “great opportunity and responsibility”.
In response to a query about how he will ensure trust of people in the judiciary, he said, “I will ensure trust of citizens not only through words but through my work.” Justice Chandrachud was sworn in as the 50th Chief Justice of India by President Droupadi Murmu.
Justice Chandrachud takes over as the head of India’s judiciary from Justice Uday Umesh Lalit, who demitted office on Tuesday, November 8.
Justice Chandrachud was born on November 11, 1959 and started serving in the Supreme Court on May 13, 2016. His father YV Chandrachud was the longest serving CJI and served in the position from February 1978 to July 1985.
The newly appointed CJI has been a part of several Constitution benches and landmark verdicts of the Supreme Court, including the Ayodhya land dispute, decriminalisation of adultery, and right to privacy. He was also a part of benches that have delivered important and path-breaking judgements on decriminalising same-sex relations after Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was struck down, the validity of the Aadhaar scheme, and the Sabarimala issue. In September 2022, a bench headed by him expanded the scope of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act to include unmarried women for abortion between 20-24 weeks of pregnancy.