Dipak Misra: Here is what you should know about India’s new Chief Justice

The President on Tuesday, August 8, appointed the Supreme Court's most senior judge, Justice Dipak Misra, as the next Chief Justice of India. Justice Dipak Misra took over from Justice Jagdish Singh Khekar to become the 45th CJI and will have a tenure of a little over a year.

Justice Misra will take oath on August 27 and will retire on October 2 next year.

Justice Misra became an advocate in 1977 and practised law in the Odisha High Court and the service tribunal. He was appointed as an additional judge of the high court in 1996. He was transferred to the Madhya Pradesh High Court in 1997 where he became a permanent judge. He became the chief justice of Patna High Court in 2009 and of Delhi High Court in 2010. He was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court in 2011. 

Here are a few things to know about Justice Misra:

1)    Justice Misra-headed benches upheld the death penalty for convicts in the gruesome Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case.

2)    In the dead of night on July 29, he agreed to head a bench to conduct an elaborate hearing of Mumbai serial blasts condemned prisoner Yakub Memon's plea for a stay of his hanging. He rejected the plea and Memon was hanged on July 30.

3)    He ordered the introduction of video conferencing at state legal services authorities to connect poor prisoners languishing in jails with advocates who would offer free services.

4)    Justice Misra will be the third judge from Odisha to become the chief justice of India after Justices Ranganath Misra (his uncle) and GB Pattanaik. 

5)    Justice Mishra was part of the bench that ordered playing of the National Anthem at the beginning of a film in theatres. 

Justice Misra was also part of the bench that rejected Uttar Pradesh government’s decision to provide reservation in promotion. 
 

• Dipak Misra
• Chief Justice of India
• Supreme Court