Next Chief Justice of India

#GS-02 Indian Judiciary

For Prelims:

Appointment of CJI:

• As per Article 124(2) of the Constitution the Chief Justice of India (CJI) is appointed by the President.
• Supreme Court in the Second Judges Case (1993) declared that the senior most Judge of Supreme Court must be appointed as the CJI.

Functions of the Chief Justice:

• The Chief Justice is in charge of allocating cases and appointing constitutional benches that deal with key legal issues as Master of the Roster of the Supreme Court.
• CJI delegates all duties to the other justices in line with Article 145 of the Constitution and the Supreme Court Rules of Procedure of 1966.

The CJI is responsible for the following administrative tasks:

• Maintenance of the roster; appointment of court officials;
• Other general and incidental topics concerning the Supreme Court’s supervision and operation.

Qualifications to become a Supreme Court Judge:

• He/she must be an Indian citizen.
• He/she must have served as a judge of a High Court (or High Courts in succession) for at least five years, or he/she must have served as an advocate of a High Court (or High Courts in succession) for at least ten years, or he/she must be a distinguished jurist in the president’s judgment.

Supreme Court Judges have to retire by the age of 65 years.

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