Justice Uday Umesh Lalit was on Wednesday appointed as the 49th Chief Justice of India after President Droupadi Murmu signed his warrant of appointment. He will assume charge on August 27 after incumbent NV Ramana demits office the day before.
Justice Lalit will have a brief tenure of less than three months. He will turn 65 on November 8 when he demits office. "In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Uday Umesh Lalit, judge of the Supreme Court, to be the Chief Justice of India with effect from 27 August, 2022," a Law Ministry notification said. Justice Lalit, born on November 9, 1957, was enrolled as an advocate in June 1983 and practised in the Bombay High Court till December 1985.
He later shifted base to Delhi. Lalit was designated senior lawyer by the Supreme Court in April, 2004. Before being recommended to be appointed as a Supreme Court judge from the Bar, Lalit conducted the trial in 2G scam related cases as special public prosecutor for the CBI. He was appointed a Supreme Court judge on August 13, 2014. CJI Ramana conveyed his best wishes to Justice Lalit for a glorious tenure as the Chief Justice of India.
“Shri Justice Ramana expressed confidence that with his long and rich experience in the Bar as well as on the Bench, Shri Justice Lalit will take the institution of the judiciary to greater heights through his able leadership,” said the statement.