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Justice JS Khehar to take over as the new Chief Justice of India
A group of prominent lawyers had, earlier, urged the government to overlook Justice Khehar's seniority, citing his verdict on the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) case. Justice JS Khehar was heading the five-judge constitution bench that junked the National Judicial Appointments Commission for the appointment of judges as unconstitutional holding that it intruded upon the independence of judiciary
New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee, on Tuesday, appointed Justice JS Khehar as the next Chief Justice of India. He would succeed CJI TS Thakur as the 44th Chief Justice of India after the latter demits office on January 3,2016.
After his appointment Justice Khehar would become the first Sikh to occupy the highest office in the judiciary. He would be serving a tenure of over seven months before retiring on August 28, 2017.
The Chief Justice of India, the highest authority in the judiciary, is traditionally appointed on seniority basis and as Justice Khehar was the senior-most judge after the Chief Justice TS Thakur, his name was recommended to the government on the principle of seniority.
Controversies in appointment of Justice Khehar:
- A group of prominent lawyers had, earlier, urged the government to overlook Justice Khehar's seniority, citing his verdict on the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) case.
- Justice JS Khehar was heading the five-judge constitution bench that junked the National Judicial Appointments Commission for the appointment of judges as unconstitutional holding that it intruded upon the independence of judiciary.'
- Justice Khehar also presided over the five judges' constitution bench that had quashed the then Arunachal Pradesh Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa's decision to advance the assembly session from January 2016 to December 2015, as it directed restoration of ousted Chief Minister Nabam Tuki's government.
About Justice JS Khehar:
- He has done LLB and LLM from Punjab University in Chandigarh and was awarded gold medal for securing first position in the university LLM examination.
- He was elevated as a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in Chandigarh on February 8, 1999.
- Justice Khehgar had practised before it as well as the Himachal Pradesh High Court and the Supreme Court.
- He was twice appointed as the acting Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court from 2 August, 2008, and again from 17 November, 2009.
- He was elevated as Chief Justice of Uttrakhand High Court on 29 November, 2009. Later, he was transferred as Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court.
- Justice Khehar was elevated as judge of the Supreme Court on 13 September, 2011.
Arnima Dwivedi
A journalist, presently working as a sub-editor with newstrack.com. I love exploring new genres of humans and humanity.
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