N V Ramana sworn-in as 48th Chief Justice of India
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NEW DELHI: Justice N.V. Ramana was sworn in as the 48th Chief Justice of India by President Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu and other dignitaries at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
On April 6, the President had signed on the appointment of Justice N.V. Ramana as the next Chief Justice of India. Justice Ramana took over as Chief Justice after the retirement of Justice S.A. Bobde on April 23. The 63-year-old justice will have a one-year and four months term as chief justice till August 26, 2022.
Before his elevation to the Supreme Court on February 17, 2014, Justice Ramana was the chief justice of the Delhi High Court. Justice Ramana was appointed as judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court in 2000. He has also been the acting Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
Born in Andhra Pradesh, Justice Ramana was appointed as a permanent judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court in 2000 and was elevated as chief justice of the Delhi high court in 2013.
In October 2020, a huge controversy had erupted as the Andhra Pradesh chief minister had written to the then Chief Justice alleging the state's High Court was being used to "destabilize and topple his democratically elected government". The letter alleged that Justice Ramana was trying to control the High Court and also trying to influence cases, which impact the state government. However, an in-house inquiry did not find any merit in these allegations.
Justice Ramana has presided over several landmark cases in the top court. In January 2020, Justice Ramana headed the bench that ruled access to the internet is a fundamental right and pulled up the government for indefinite internet blockade in J&K following the abrogation of Art 370.
He also headed the bench challenging the constitutional validity of the Centre's decision to revoke provisions of Article 370, which gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Justice Ramana also headed a three-judge bench in the Karnataka assembly case, which dealt with legal questions regarding disqualification under the Tenth Schedule for defection as a bar for contesting in re-elections.