Justice U U Lalit sworn in as 49th Chief Justice of India

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Justice U U Lalit took oath as the 49th Chief Justice of India (CJI) on 27 August.

IMPORTANT FACTS -

• President Draupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to Justice Lalit at the swearing-in ceremony held at the Durbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

• The tenure of the new Chief Justice is short and he will hold the post till November 8, 2022.

• He succeeds Chief Justice N V Ramana who retired on 26 August.

About Justice Uday Umesh Lalit :

• He was born on 9th November, 1957 at Solapur, Maharashtra. 

• Justice Lalit was enrolled as an Advocate by the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa in June, 1983.

• He practised in the Bombay High Court until December 1985, before moving to Delhi in January 1986.

• He worked in Soli Sorabji's chamber from October 1986 to 1992 and was on the panel of lawyers for the Union of India during the period when Soli Sorabji was the Attorney General of India.

• From 1992 to 2002 he served as Advocate on Record and was designated as Senior Advocate by the Supreme Court in April 2004.

• He was also appointed amicus curiae in many important matters like forest matters, vehicular pollution, pollution of Yamuna etc.

Landmark Judgments :

• In August 2017, a five-judge Constitution Bench, which also included him, declared the practice of instant divorce through 'triple talaq' as "void", "illegal" and "unconstitutional" by a 3-2 majority.

• In another important judgement, a bench headed by Justice Lalit had empowered the then royal family of Travancore to manage the historic Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala, which is one of the richest temples.

• A bench headed by Justice UU Lalit had ruled that touching the sexual parts of a child's body or any act involving physical contact with 'sexual intent' is punishable under Section 7 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act.