Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra has recommended Justice Ranjan Gogoi as his successor.
Chief Justice of India Dipak Mishra today wrote to the government recommending Justice Ranjan Gogoi as his successor, with a month to his retirement. Justice Gogoi, the second senior-most judge in the Supreme Court, will take charge on October 3 as the next Chief Justice of India.
He will become the first Supreme Court judge from the north-east to be appointed Chief Justice of India.
Chief Justice Mishra retires a day before, but since October 2 is a holiday, October 1 will be his last working day.
Chief Justice Mishra's formal recommendation is in keeping with the tradition of naming the judge next in seniority as the chief justice. Following convention, the Law Ministry had, a few days ago, asked the Chief Justice to recommend his successor.
Justice Gogoi will be the Chief Justice till November 17, next year. He will be administered the oath of office by President Ram Nath Kovind.
Justice Gogoi was among the four judges who, in January, criticised Chief Justice Misra in a rare press conference and accused him of misusing his role of assigning cases as the Supreme Court's Master of the Roster. He is currently hearing the Assam National Register of Citizens or NRC case.
Elevated to the Supreme Court in 2012, Justice Gogoi is known to be a soft-spoken but tough judge.
Born in 1954, Justice Gogoi joined the Bar in 1978. He was appointed Permanent Judge of Gauhati High Court on February 28, 2001. He was transferred to the Punjab and Haryana High Court in September 2010 and went on to become the Chief Justice in February 2011.