Justice UU Lalit Appointed as 49th Chief Justice of India

Justice Lalit is the second CJI who was directly elevated to the apex court bench from the Bar.

Justice UU Lalit.

(Photo: The Quint)

Justice Uday Umesh Lalit was appointed as the 49th chief justice of India (CJI) by the President of India Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday, 10 August. He will succeed incumbent Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, who is slated to retire on 26 August.

Justice Lalit's appointment as the CJI is slated to take effect from 27 August 2022, and he is due retire on 8 November 2022.

He is the second CJI who was directly elevated to the apex court bench from the Bar.

More About Justice UU Lalit

Born to UR Lalit, a former additional judge of the Bombay High Court, UU Lalit joined the bar in 1983. He is reported to have been the sixth senior advocate in the country to be directly elevated to the Supreme Court of India.

Notable judgments passed by him during his tenure as a judge at the Supreme Court include those in the triple talaq case, in which a five-judge constitution bench, by a 3-2 majority, ruled the practice of divorce through instant 'triple talaq' as "void", illegal", and "unconstitutional".

He is also credited with having clarified the most important ingredient as sexual intent and not skin-to-skin contact under Section 7 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.