Justice Ranjan Gogoi on Wednesday took oath of office as the 46th Chief Justice of India succeeding the outgoing CJI Dipak Misra, whose term expired on 1 October.
CJI Gogoi was sworn on today because of 2 October being a national holiday on account of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary. On Wednesday President Ram Nath Kovind administered him the oath of office. With this, Ranjan Gogoi also became the first judge from the north-east to become the first Chief Justice of India .
His term will end in November next year.
Justice Gogoi’s elevation as the new CJI became possible after the then CJI Misra recommended his name for the top Supreme Court post last month.
Justice Gogoi was one of the four judges, who had famously held the unprecedented press conference in January this year, raising concerns about the administration in the apex court, saying that it was “not in order”. The other three judges were Justice J Chelameswar (now retired), Justice MB Lokur and Justice Kurian Joseph.
Justice Gogoi is from Assam, and he headed the special bench that is monitoring the updation of National Register of Citizens to identify citizens in the northeastern state.
Justice Gogoi was born in 1954. He joined the Bar in 1978 and was subsequently appointed as Permanent Judge of Gauhati High Court on 28 February, 2001.
He was later transferred to the Punjab & Haryana High Court in September 2010. He went on to become the Chief Justice of Punjab & Haryana High Court in February 2011. He was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court in April 2012 during the UPA rule.
According to established convention, the outgoing Chief Justice sends the recommendation about his successor 30 days before he is to demit office so that the Chief Justice-designate is named well in time, reported IANS.