Justice UU Lalit has a century of family heirloom in the legal profession. (File image)
New Delhi:
India’s new chief justice, UU Lalit, will serve a short term of just about two and a half months, but the Supreme Court under him has inherited some of the most profound cases, seeking answers to questions. important constitution.
From the abolition of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, religion as a criterion for citizenship, reservations on economic grounds, to secret election bonds that fund political parties – there is a long list pending cases, some of which are being carried forward several terms of CJI, not only of predecessor NV Ramana.
Justice Ramana said in a farewell statement, “Listing and posting issues is one of those areas where I can’t pay attention. I’m sorry for that.”
And the new CJI Lalit pay attention to that. Today, he said: “I have always believed that the role of the Supreme Court is to make laws clear and consistent. “The best that can be done is to have the big benches as soon as possible….so that the problems are cleared up immediately.”
Currently, the number of constitutional issues in court is about 50.
Justice NV Ramana, who spent 16 months in the highest judicial seat – in total, he served eight years as a Supreme Court judge – is often praised for being criticized for making points consistent in his speeches but questions have been raised about pending matters.
Near the end of his term, the Supreme Court on Wednesday announced that 25 constitutional issues would be posted before the relevant benches from August 29, two days after Justice Lalit takes over.
As the 49th CJI, Justice Lalit can attract a century of family legacy in the legal profession. His grandfather was a lawyer in Solapur, Maharashtra. His father, Umesh Ranganath Lalit, 90 years old this year, was a lawyer who later served as a high court judge. He will be present at the swearing-in ceremony, as will Justice UU Lalit’s wife and two sons, one of whom is also a lawyer.
Justice UU Lalit and his wife Amita with their son and daughter-in-law
The new CJI is no stranger to big cases, be it as a judge or a lawyer before being put on the bench in August 2014.
In fact, he is only the second person to reach the pinnacle of the Indian judiciary after being directly elevated to the Supreme Court from Qing. Justice SM Sikri was the first such person – elevated to the post of Supreme Court judge in 1964, becoming CJI in 1971.
Among the landmark judgments that Justice Lalit has been involved in, there is one that organized divorce through instant “three talaqs” between Muslims as illegal and unconstitutional.
In another key ruling, a bench headed by Justice Lalit ruled that touching a child’s sexual parts – or any act that involves physical contact with “sexual intent” – both are acts of sexual assault.
He also sat on the bench to hear the land title dispute of Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid, but re-used himself in 2019. He was not required to do so and did not give it. reason why. However, a lawyer for the Muslim faction told the bench that UU Lalit was the lawyer for former UP minister Kalyan Singh in a related matter in 1997.
As a lawyer, he served as Special Counsel in the CBI case on 2G spectrum allocation.
His CJI tenure ends when he turns 65, on November 8th.
Justice DY Chandrachud is eligible to take over from him, for a period of about two years.
