Chief Justice of India S A Bobde on Wednesday recommended Justice N V Ramana as his successor.
CJI Bobde handed over a copy of the letter of recommendation to his successor Justice Ramana after sending it to the Centre. CJI Bobde appears to have dismissed the complaint filed by Andhra Pradesh CM Y S Jagan Reddy against Justice Ramana before sending the recommendation letter to the Centre for Justice Ramana’s appointment as the 48th CJI on April 24. CJI Bobde is slated to retire on April 23. Justice NV Ramana is the senior-most judge in the top court after the CJI. Born on August 27, 1957, Justice Ramana has a tenure till August 26, 2022.
Justice Ramana will be the first judge from Andhra Pradesh high court to serve as the CJI. As per the Memorandum of Procedure governing 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 would, at an appropriate time, seek the recommendation of the outgoing Chief Justice of India for the appointment of the next CJI.
Under this process, after receipt of the recommendation of the CJI, the law minister puts it before the Prime Minister who advises the President in the matter of appointment.
“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 the appointment of the next Chief Justice of India,” the document states.