Who is Sharad Arvind Bobde, the next Chief Justice of India?

Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde will be the next Chief Justice of India as President Ram Nath Kovind paved his way after signing a warrant on Tuesday appointing him as the next CJI. Justice Bobde will be sworn in as Chief Justice on November 18 and will serve this post for around 18 months. Present Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi on October 18 has recommended second senior-most judge Justice Bobde as his successor. 

Justice Bobde is a former Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court and is said to be number 2 in seniority in the supreme court who is due to retire on April 23, 2021. Born in Nagpur on April 25, 1956, Justice Bobde studied at Nagpur University after which he joined the Bombay High Court in 2000 as an additional judge. In 2012, he became Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court. In 2013, he was elevated to the Supreme Court.

SA Bobde heard key cases

SA Bobde also played a crucial role in the Ayodhya dispute hearing as he was the part of the five-judge bench. He was also a part of the in-house panel handling CJI Justice Gogoi's sexual harassment case — the most controversial cases of the Supreme court. Apart from this, he also was a part of the Aadhaar judgement, which ruled that the lack of the ID was not grounds to restrict government subsidy or basic rights to any citizen.

The Chief Justice of India (CJI) Rajan Gogoi had written a letter to the government recommending Sharad Arvind Bobde as the next Chief Justice of India, according to reports. Justice Gogoi, the 46th Chief Justice of India, who swore in on October 3, 2018, is retiring on November 17. The CJI recommended the government to look into the process for SA Bobde as the next head of the judiciary of the country. Official sources said the chief justice has gone by the convention to recommend the name of the next senior judge after him as his successor.