Justice UU Lalit takes oath as 49th Chief Justice of India

New Delhi, Aug 27: Justice Uday Umesh Lalit took oath as the 49th Chief Justice of India at Rashtrapati Bhawan on Saturday after the current Chief Justice, NV Ramana retired on August 26.

As per the Indian Constitution, President Draupadi Murmu administered him the oath at a brief ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union ministers were present at the ceremony. Justice Lalit's predecessor, Justice N V Ramana, was also present.

He will have a brief tenure of just three months as the head of India's judiciary. He will demit office on November 8.

Justice Lalit will be the second CJI to be directly elevated to the apex court bench from the Bar. He has been part of several landmark judgments including the one which held the practice of divorce through instant triple talaq among Muslims illegal and unconstitutional. He was also a part of the bench that sentenced Vijay Mallya to four months of imprisonment in 2017.

Earlier on Friday, Justice U U Lalit highlighted three areas on which he intends to work during his 74-day tenure as the head of the judiciary and said he would strive hard to ensure that at least one constitution bench is functioning in the Supreme Court throughout the year. Justice Lalit said the other two areas are - listing cases for hearing in the apex court and mentioning urgent matters.