SC dismisses plea challenging Justice Khehar’s Appointment as next CJI

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the plea filed by a lawyers’ body seeking not to make Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar as the next Chief Justice of India.

A bench of the Apex Court headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan and also comprising Justice L Nageswar Rao, while dismissing the plea, said that the plea was ‘infructuous’ after the notification was issued by President Pranab Mukherjee on December 19th.

The lawyers’ body- National Lawyers’ Campaign for Judicial Transparency and Reforms- had moved the apex court seeking a stay on the appointment of next CJI, Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar.

In a civil writ petition filed in the Supreme Court, the lawyers’ organisation have stated that Justice J Chelameshwar, who is senior to Justice Khehar, be appointed as the 44th CJI. The NCJTR’s petition before the apex court lays down their disagreement with Justice Khehar’s appointment and suggests Justice Chelameshwar as an alternative.

The petition also argues that Khehar is harsh on the smallest of mistakes by lawyers and openly favors high-profile lawyers.