File photo of Justice HL Dattu
The union government has initiated the process of appointing Justice H L Dattu as the next Chief Justice of India after Justice RM Lodha retires from the post on September 27.
In an exclusive conversation with NDTV on Wednesday, Justice Dattu said, "I believe in three principles: hard work, honesty and humility".
"I am here in this position because of the blessings of Lord Balaji, the blessings of my parents and my guru, former Chief Justice of India Rajendra Babu," he added.
The Law Ministry has reportedly cleared the file of Justice Dattu's appointment and sent it to the Prime Minister's Office. His Warrant of Appointment will be issued shortly after the President clears it, sources said.
As per the laid down procedure, Justice Lodha had recently written to the Law Minister nominating Justice Dattu, the senior-most Supreme Court judge after him, as the next CJI.
Justice Dattu, 63, has been heading the bench monitoring investigations into the 2G spectrum scam.
He will enjoy a tenure of a little over one year before he retires on December 2, 2015.
He joined the Supreme Court as a judge in December 2008.