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Appointment of Chief Justice of India : Procedure

Sharad A. Bobde Recommendation:

Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde has recommended Justice N.V. Ramana, the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, as the next top judge.

  • Justice Ramana is now set to take over as the 48th Chief Justice of India from April 24.

Appointment of CJI:

  • The Chief Justice of India is traditionally appointed by the outgoing Chief Justice of India on the day of his (or her) retirement.
  • By convention, the outgoing Chief Justice of India selects the most senior then-sitting Supreme Court judge.
  • Seniority at the apex court is determined not by age, but by:
    • The date a judge was appointed to the Supreme Court.
    • If two judges are elevated to the Supreme Court on the same day:
    • The one who was sworn in first as a judge would trump another.
    • If both were sworn in as judges on the same day, the one with more years of high court service would ‘win’ in the seniority stakes.