New Delhi: Justice NV Ramana has been sworn in as the 48th Chief Justice of India (CJI).
President Ram Nath Kovind administered him the oath at Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi in a simple ceremony due to Covid restrictions.
Justice Ramana said, ‘We are going through testing times as we battle the Covid wave. Lawyers, judges and court staff are all affected due to the virus. Some hard measures may be necessary to break the chain of transmission. We can defeat the pandemic together with dedication.’
Justice Ramana is the first judge from Andhra Pradesh High Court to be the Chief Justice of India.
Earlier, former CJI Sharad Arvind Bobde had recommended Justice NV Ramana as his successor.
Bobde retired as the CJI on Friday after serving as a judge for 22 years. The outgoing CJI said he was leaving the Supreme Court with ‘happiness, goodwill and very fond memories’ and the satisfaction of having done his best.
Born in an agricultural family in Andhra Pradesh’s Krishna district on 27 August, 1957, Justice Ramana, 63, will be the country’s top judge for a year and four months till August 26, 2022. He is the second Chief Justice of India from Andhra Pradesh; Justice K Subba Rao was the ninth Chief Justice of India from 1966-67.