Chief Justices of India

Chief justices of India

The Chief Justice of India is the highest position obtainable in the Supreme Court of India, and thus holds the highest judicial position in India. The chief justice of the Supreme Court is appointed on the basis of seniority by the President of India.

Article 124 of the Constitution of India provides for the manner of appointing judges to the Supreme Court. Once appointed, the Chief Justice remains in office for a period of 5 years or until the age of 65 years whichever is earlier. He can be removed only through a process of impeachment by Parliament. Article 124(4) of Constitution of India lays down the procedure for removal of a Judge of Supreme Court which is applicable to Chief Justice as well.

Administrative Functions of the Chief Justice of India:

  • Maintenance of the roster
  • Appointment of court officials;
  • General and miscellaneous matters relating to the supervision and functioning of the Supreme Court.

The Constitution of India provides that the Chief Justice of India (CJI) shall act as the President of India in the event of the offices of both the President and the Vice President being vacant.

List of Chief Justices of India:

S No. Name Office Tenure
1. Harilal J. Kania 26 January 1950-6 November 1951
2. M. Patanjali Sastri 7 November 1951-3 January 1954
3. Mehar Chand Mahajan 4 January 1954-22 December 1954
4. B.K. Mukherjea 23 December 1954-31 January 1956
5. S.R. Das 1 February 1956-30 September 1959
6. Bhuvaneshwar Prasad Sinha 1 October 1959-31 January 1964
7. P.B. Gajendragadkar 1 February 1964-15 March 1966
8. A.K. Sarkar 16 March 1966-29 June 1966
9. K. Subba Rao 30 June 1966-11 April 1967
10. K.N. Wanchoo 12 April 1967-24 February 1968
11. M. Hidayatullah 25 February 1968-16 December 1970
12. J.C. Shah 17 December 1970-21 January 1971
13. S.M. Sikri 22 January 1971-25 April 1973
14. A.N. Ray 26 April 1973-27 January 1977
15. M.H. Beg 28 January 1977-21 February 1978
16. Y.V. Chandrachud 22 February 1978-11 July 1985
17. Prafullachandra Natvarlal Bhagwati 12 July 1985-20 December 1986
18. R.S. Pathak 21 December 1986-18 June 1989
19. E.S. Venkataramiah 19 June 1989-17 December 1989
20. S. Mukharjee 18 December 1989-25 September 1990
21. Ranganath Mishra 26 September 1990-24 November 1991
22. K.N. Singh 25 November 1991-12 December 1991
23. M.H. Kania 13 December 1991-17 November 1992
24. L.M. Sharma 18 November 1992-11 February 1993
25. M.N. Venkatachaliah 12 February 1993-24 October 1994
26. A.M. Ahmadi 25 October 1994-24 March 1997
27. J.S. Verma 25 March 1997-17 January 1998
28. M.M. Punchhi 18 January 1998-9 October 1998
29. A.S. Anand 10 October 1998 - 11 January 2001
30. Sam Piroj Bharucha 11 January 2001 - 06 May 2002
31. B.N. Kripal 06 May 2002 - 08 November 2002
32. G.B Pattanaik 08 November 2002 - 19 December 2002
33. V.N. Khare 19 December 2002 - 02 May 2004
34. S. Rajendra Babu 02 May 2004 - 01 June 2004
35. R.C. Lahoti 01 June 2004 - 01 November 2005
36. Yogesh Kumar Sabharwal 01 November 2005 -14th January , 2007
37. K. G. Balakrishnan 14th January 2007- 12 May 2010
38. S.H.Kapadia 12 May 2010 - 28 July 2012
39. Altamas Kabir 29 September 2012 - 7 July 2013
40. P. Sathasivam 19 July 2013 - 26 March 2014
41. R.M. Lodha 27 March 2014 - continuing

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