Salute to Dr. Dhananjaya Yashwant Chandrachud, the 50th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India 🇮🇳 By: Solicitor Prof. Neelam Mahajan Singh

Salute to Dr. Dhananjaya Yashwant Chandrachud, the 50th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India 🇮🇳 

By: Solicitor Prof. Neelam Mahajan Singh

☆ Chief Justice of the Indian Supreme Court, Dr. Dhananjaya Yashwant Chandrachud, will retire on November 11, 2024, after a two-year tenure. Born on November 11, 1959, Dr. Chandrachud reached the pinnacle of the judicial hierarchy as Chief Justice. On November 9, 2022, he was sworn in as the 50th Chief Justice of India by Honorable President Droupadi Murmu. Previously, he served as the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court and a Judge of the Bombay High Court. Justice Chandrachud was appointed as a judge to the Supreme Court of India on May 13, 2016, sworn in by then-President Pranab Mukherjee. He took office as Chief Justice on November 9, 2022, following his nomination by Justice Uday Umesh Lalit. D.Y. Chandrachud will retire on November 10, upon reaching the age of 65. During his tenure, he delivered several landmark judgments. Here are 10 significant decisions penned by him while holding the highest judicial office in the country.

1. Abrogation of Article 370: The five-judge Constitution Bench led by Dr. D.Y. Chandrachud upheld the abrogation of Article 370. He directed the Election Commission of India to hold Jammu and Kashmir's Assembly elections by September 30, 2024, which have since been conducted. The bench included Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, B. R. Gavai, and Justice Surya Kant. Relying on statements by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, the bench affirmed that "statehood for Jammu and Kashmir would be restored as soon as possible," while leaving open the question of whether Parliament can convert a state into one or more union territories.

2. Historic Ruling on Same-Sex Marriage: The five-judge bench, presided over by CJI D.Y. Chandrachud, declined to read or replace "existing man and woman" with "gender-neutral persons" under the Special Marriage Act. All five judges agreed that the right to marry is not unconditional. They recommended that a committee, chaired by the Cabinet Secretary, be established to address administrative measures concerning basic social benefits for same-sex couples. The bench, comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna, Hima Kohli, B.V. Nagarathna, and P.S. Narasimha, left the decision of enacting "marriage equality laws" to the legislature. They urged central and state governments to ensure that LGBTQ+ individuals are not discriminated against based on their sexual orientation.

3. Electoral Bonds Scheme: The five-judge bench led by Justice Chandrachud rejected the "Electoral Bonds Scheme," stating that denying voters information on political party funding creates a conflicted situation. The bench, including Justices 

B. R. Gavai, Sanjiv Khanna, J.B. Pardiwala, and Manoj Misra, directed the State Bank of India (SBI) to halt issuing electoral bonds immediately.

4. Caste-Based Labor Division in Prisons: The bench presided over by CJI D.Y. Chandrachud declared the practice of assigning “lower caste inmates” to sanitation and scavenging work unconstitutional. The ruling ordered the removal of the “caste column” and any caste references from prison registers.

5. Effective Implementation of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006: The bench led by CJI Chandrachud issued various directives to enforce child marriage prohibition and ordered state and union territories to appoint responsible officers at district levels.

6. Citizenship Act Section 6A: The Constitution Bench, led by Dr. Chandrachud, upheld the constitutional validity of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, which was added to implement the Assam Accord and served as the basis for the NRC in Assam in 2019.

7. NEET-UG 2024 Re-examination Refusal: The bench, chaired by Dr. Chandrachud, dismissed the request for a NEET-UG 2024 re-exam, asserting insufficient evidence of systematic paper leakage.

8. Incident in Manipur: The bench took suo moto cognizance of a viral video depicting the harassment of two tribal women in Manipur. The Supreme Court set up a three-member committee of female judges to oversee the conditions in relief camps and assess compensation for victims.

(Courtesy:SCC Blog)

9. Criminal Cases Against Legislators: Justice Chandrachud’s bench directed all High Court Chief Justices to monitor pending criminal cases against MPs and MLAs. Each High Court was instructed to establish a special bench to curb the criminalization of politics.

10. Noteworthy Academic Background: Justice D.Y. Chandrachud holds an Economics Honours degree from St. Stephen's College, New Delhi, an LL.B. from Delhi University's Campus Law Centre, an LL.M. from Harvard University (1983), and a Doctorate in Judicial Science from Harvard (1986).

In October 2024, following Chief Justice Chandrachud’s recommendation, the central government approved the appointment of Justice Sanjiv Khanna as the 51st Chief Justice, effective November 11- 2024. I extend my best wishes to Justice Dr. Dhananjay Yashwant Chandrachud for his future 'journey of life'.

Neelam Mahajan Singh 

(Senior Journalist, Political Analyst, Academician, Solicitor for Human Rights, and Philanthropist)

singhnofficial@gmail.com 

https://neelammahajansingh.in 

neelammahajansingh.blogspot.com 

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