Senior-most Supreme Court judge Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud took oath as the 50th Chief Justice of India (CJI) on Wednesday. Justice Chandrachud assumed charge as the 50th CJI and will have a tenure of over two years.
Before being elevated as the CJI, Justice Chandrachud served as the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court and a judge of the Bombay High Court. Let us know about his educational qualification and his journey toward becoming the Chief Justice of India.
Early life and education
Justice DY Chandrachud was born on November 11, 1959. His father is the longest-serving Chief Justice of India (CJI) Yeshwant Vishnu Chandrachud and his mother Prabha is a classical singer. D Y Chandrachud completed his schooling at Mumbai’s Cathedral and John Connon School and St. Columbia’s School in Delhi. In 1979, he completed his graduation in economics and mathematics from Delhi’s St. Stephen’s college.
Studied Law
After having finished his graduation, in 1982, he finished his Bachelor of law degree at Delhi University. In 1983, with the help of the Inlaks Scholarship, he completed his Masters of Law degree from Harvard Law School. He stayed back there, until he completed his Doctorate of Juridicial Science in 1986.
Legal career
On completing his legal education, Justice DY Chandrachud worked briefly at a law firm before returning to India. He enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Maharashtra and practised at the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court. He always focused on issues pertaining to the common people. Some of his significant legal interventions include those in labour laws, especially pertaining to the loss of livelihood of labourers diagnosed with HIV-AIDS. He was also passionate about the legal conflicts faced by bonded women labourers and religious minorities.
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Key Positions Held
In 1998, he was designated as a senior advocate, at the age of 38, a rare feat for practising advocates to be conferred this designation below the age of 40. Further, he was appointed as the Additional Solicitor General of India in 1998, and elevated to a Judge of the Bombay High Court in 2000. He also held office as the Director of the Maharashtra Judicial Academy during this period. In October 2013, he was appointed as the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court, and in May 2016, he was appointed to the Supreme Court of India. Justice Chandrachud has been a part of the Supreme Court Collegium from April 2021 onwards. He was also the Executive Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority. He was appointed as the Chief Justice of India on October 17, 2022.
Academic endeavour
Between 1997 and 1998, Justice Chandrachud was a Visiting Professor for Comparative Constitutional Law at the University of Bombay and the University of Oklahoma College of Law, United States. He has also delivered several lectures at prestigious educational institutions around the world including the Melbourne Law School, Yale Law School, and Australian National University, among others.
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