Justice UU Lalit takes oath as 49th CJI

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 27

Justice UU Lalit, the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, was on Saturday sworn in as the 49th Chief Justice of India (CJI). President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to Justice Lalit at a brief ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The ceremony was attended by PM Narendra Modi, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, outgoing CJI NV Ramana, sitting and former judges of the Supreme Court, senior lawyers and other dignitaries from the fields of law and politics.

Domestic help, driver for retd CJis, SC judges

• Retired CJIs, SC judges to get domestic help, chauffeur and assistant for lifetime
• Round-the-clock security at residence and guard for 5 years for CJIs post retirement
• Rent-free Type-VII accommodation in Delhi for six months after retirement

Justice Lalit will have a 74-day tenure as the CJI as he is due to retire on November 8. Appointed as Supreme Court Judge on August 13, 2014, Justice Lalit was the sixth senior advocate to be directly elevated from the Bar. He is the second CJI to be directly elevated to the Supreme Court from the Bar, the first being Justice SM Sikri who served as the CJI from January 1971 to April 1973. Outlining his priorities, Justice Lalit on Friday said he would strive to have one Constitution Bench functioning throughout the year, streamline the system of urgent mentioning and bring transparency into the system. Justice Lalit is the son of Justice UR Lalit, a former Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court, Nagpur Bench. Born on November 9, 1957, Justice Lalit got enrolled as an advocate in June 1983, and practised in the Bombay High Court till December 1985, before shifting to Delhi in January 1986. He joined the chambers of former Attorney General Soli Sorabjee in 1986 and continued with him till 1992.

He was designated as senior advocate by the Supreme Court in April 2004, and appeared as amicus curiae in several important cases.

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