Mr. Dhananjay Yeshwant Chandrachud had assumed office as the Chief Justice of India on 8th November 2022. On 10th November 2024, Justice Sanjiv Khanna will succeed him as the 51st Chief Justice of India. According to Supreme Court Observer, during his 8-year-long career as an Supreme Court judge, he has written 597 judgements.
Some of the notable judgements of Mr Chandrachud are as follows:
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Validation of Sub-classification of SC/ST Categories: On 1st August 2024, a seven-judge bench led by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud upheld the rights of States to sub-classify SC/ST categories, similar to the OBC category.
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Dismissing Petition on Uniform Marriage Age: On 20th February 2023, Mr Chandrachud and two other judges dismissed a petition demanding a uniform marriage age. The bench stated that it is the parliament's jurisdiction to make a law in this regard. The court respected the 'Separation of power' doctrine and upheld 'Judicial Restraint'.
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Unconstitutionality of Electoral Bond Scheme: On 15th February 2024, a five-judge bench unanimously struck down the electoral bond scheme and ordered that the sale of these bonds be stopped immediately. The court stated that the Electoral bond scheme is violating the voters' right to information under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution.
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Upholding the Rights of the Delhi Government: On 11th May 2023, a five-judge bench comprising Mr Chandrachud upheld the right of the Delhi government to control the day-to-day administration of the NCT of Delhi. The judgement was passed based on a petition filed by the Delhi government against the Government of NCT (Amendment) Act 2021, fearing violation of the rule of law and separation of power.
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Validation of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955: On 17th October 2024, the constitutionality of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act 1955 was upheld by the court. The judgement was delivered with a 4:1 majority. Under this judgement, citizenship was granted to Bangladeshi immigrants who entered Assam before March 1971.
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Refuting Plea for Marriage Equality: On 17th October 2023, the validity of the Special Marriage Act, 1954 was upheld. It was declared that the right to marry is not a fundamental right for the LGBTQIA+ community under this act.
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Upholding Abrogation of Article 370: On 11th December 2023, a five-judge bench upheld the abrogation of Article 370 by the Union government. The court stated that the provision was temporary in nature. The court also dismissed the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and opened the path for integration of this area with India.
Special mention to some other progressive judgements of CJI DY Chandrachud:
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Cancellation of two-finger test on sexually assaulted women due to lack of scientific basis. This was an attempt to maintain the dignity of women.
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Unmarried women cannot be denied the right to safe abortion.
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Constitution of an all-women three-member committee to look into the conduct of Manipur Police and CBI amidst Manipur violence.
With inputs from agencies
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