CJI SA Bobde recommends Justice NV Ramana as his successor

Chief Justice of India SA Bobde has recommended senior-most judge of the Supreme Court after him, Justice NV Ramana, as his successor. The CJI’s office sent a letter on Wednesday to this effect to the law ministry, which will process it before sending a recommendation to the President who will formally appoint Ramana as the next CJI. The present CJI’s tenure ends on April 23. Justice Ramana will demit office on August 26, 2022.

Justice Ramana was also formally cleared of all charges of corruption levelled against his kith and kin by Andhra chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy. The CM had in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi had complained against the judge, days after Justice Ramana ordered fast-tracking of cases against several politicians. Reddy’s name was in the list. Justice Ramana had denied the allegations.

“A complaint dated October 6, 2020, by CM Jagan Reddy was dealt with under the in-house procedure and the same on due consideration stands dismissed,” said a statement issued by the Supreme Court on Wednesday. “All matters dealt with under the in-house procedure being strictly confidential in nature are not liable to be made public,” it added.


Justice Ramana was Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh and the Delhi high courts before he was elevated to the Supreme Court on February 17, 2014. During his stint as a judge in the top court, Justice Ramana’s bench dealt with the internet ban imposed by the Modi government on JK after dilution of Article 370. He ordered the government to review all orders banning internet in the state and place the fresh orders in public domain.

He also delivered another judgement recently in which he ruled that Constitution courts can grant bail to accused despite a specific bar against it in UAPA if the bench concludes the accused’s fundamental right were violated due to a fast trial. He was also part of a bench which ruled that the office of the CJI would come under RTI. In other key rulings, he has been critical of poor implementation of the food security act, ruled on the validity of entry tax and spoke on the need to ensure access to justice for millions.