Justice Uday Umesh Lalit, who took oath as the new Chief Justice of India, will the 49th CJI of the country. President Draupadi Murmu administered him the oath in presence of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhad, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Union ministers. Ex-CJI Justice NV Raman was also present on this occasion.
After taking oath as the CJI, Justice Lalit took the blessings of his father and former High Court judge Umesh Rangnath Lalit and other senior family members by touching their feet. Justice Lalit’s tenure as the CJI will be of 74 days and he will be retiring on November 8 after completing the age of 65 years. Also, the most senior judge Justice DY Chandrachud could be the next CJI after Justice Lalit’s retirement.
Professional journey began at a flat in Delhi’s Mayur Vihar
After shifting to Delhi from Mumbai, Justice Lalit started his professional journey from a flat in East Delhi’s Mayur Vihar that now has reached the post of CJI. He established his identity as a top criminal lawyer and has been known for his unique style of advocacy. Soft-spoken Justice Lalit is famous as a man of strong facts, and arguments but a gentleman.
The family has a history of over a century in the profession
It is quite interesting that Justice Lalit’s family has been in the profession of advocacy for more than a century. His grandfather Rangnath Lalit was a lawyer in Maharashtra’s Solapur. His father Umesh Rangnath Lalit had started practising as a lawyer in Solapur. He was a known lawyer in Mumbai and had served as a judge in the Mumbai High Court as well.
CJI’s wife is a teacher
Unlike her in-laws, Justice Lalit’s wife Amita Uday is a teacher. The couple has two sons. The elder one, Shreyas, and his wife Ravina are also lawyers while the younger one, Harshad lives in America with his wife Radhika.
Justice Lalit was appointed Supreme Court judge in 2014
Justice Lalit was appointed as a judge in the Supreme Court on August 13, 2014. He was a senior advocate then. He was part of the jury in many signature verdicts including the “triple talaq” matter. A Supreme Court bench of five justices declared the triple talaq tradition in Islam as “unconstitutional” in August 2017 with a majority of 3:2. Justice Lalit was a part of this bench.
He had also separated himself from the politically sensitive Ayodhya Ram Mandir and Babri mosque land dispute in January 2019.
