Justice Ranjan Gogoi to be next Chief Justice of India, will take charge on October 3

Justice Ranjan Gogoi, the second senior-most judge in the Supreme Court, will be the next Chief Justice of India (CJI) and will take charge on October 3, a day after current CJI Dipak Misra's retirement. According to news agency ANI, CJI Misra has recommended Justice Gogoi’s name for his successor. The report came days after the Union Law Ministry wrote to CJI Misra asking him to suggest the name of the judge who will replace him. 

As per the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) which governs the appointment of members of the higher judiciary, the “appointment to the office of the Chief Justice of India should be of the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court considered fit to hold the office”.

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The MoP stipulates that the Law Minister would seek the recommendation of the outgoing Chief Justice of India for the appointment of the next CJI at an appropriate time. After CJI’s recommendations, the Law Minister puts the name before the Prime Minister, who then advises the President in the matter of appointment.

The speculations over Justice Gogoi’s appointment as the next CJI emerged following an unprecedented press conference by four senior-most judges, including Justice Gogoi, in January 2017.

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During the press conference, Justice Gogoi and three other judges – Justices Jasti Chelameswar, MB Lokur and Kurian Joseph, had criticised CJI Misra over various issues, especially the manner of allocation of cases to certain benches.