JUSTICE NV RAMANA APPOINTED THE NEW CHIEF JUSTICE OF INDIA
Manasi Agarwal
President Ram Nath Kovind on last Tuesday appointed Justice N V Ramana (Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana)as the next Chief Justice of India. Justice Ramana took charge on 24th April as the 48th Chief Justice of India, a day after Sharad Arvind Bobde, the present Chief Justice retires. Already a Supreme Court Judge for the last 8 years, his name was recommended by Justice Bobde as the new CJI. Previously, he was the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court and the acting Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh High Court. He has also served as the President of the Andhra Pradesh Judicial Academy. Before joining law, Justice Ramana worked as a journalist from 1979 to 1980 and reported on political and legal matters for regional newspaper the Eenadu. He enrolled as an advocate on February 10th, 1983 and practiced in the High Court of Andhra Pradesh, Central and Andhra Pradesh Administrative Tribunals and the Supreme Court of India in Civil, Criminal, Constitutional, Labour, Service and Election matters. He has specialized in Constitutional, Criminal, Service and Inter-State River laws. He had also functioned as Panel Counsel for various Government Organizations. He was Additional Standing Counsel for Central Government and Standing Counsel for Railways in the Central Administrative Tribunal at Hyderabad. He has also functioned as Additional Advocate General of Andhra Pradesh. He became a permanent Judge of Andhra Pradesh High Court on 27th June 2000. On 2nd September 2013, he was appointed the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court and on 17th February 2014, he became a judge in the Supreme Court of India. Before his elevation as the CJI, he has dealt with matters related to abrogation of Article 370, the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 and the electoral bond scheme, which are still pending in the Supreme Court. A constitution bench headed by him rejected the curative petitions filed by the convicts in the 2012 December gang rape case. In the Jammu and Kashmir internet connection case, Justice Ramana ruled that freedom of speech and expression and the freedom to practice any profession or carry on any trade, business or occupation over the internet is protected by Articles 19(1)(a) and 19(1)(g). He is considered as a conventional judge, who is restrained in his speech. He is known to talk less and adheres to the principle of judicial discipline and the rule of precedent. His term as the Chief Justice of India will expire on 26th August 2022.
