On Wednesday, Justice Jagdish Khehar was sworn as the Cheif justice of India. He was administered by President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. Khehar succeeded Justice Tirath Singh Thakur. Justice Jagdish Khehar is the 44th Chief justice to take office and also the first Sikh to hold the apex court– he would serve for seven months.
Khehar was also a co-author of the Judgement of National Judicial Appointment Commission of India, which is the 99th amendment of the Constitution. This led to the National Judicial Appointment Commission Act,2014. The National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) was a proposed body responsible for the appointments and transfers of the judges in our Country.
The son of a Kenyan immigrant, Khehar returned to India when his family migrated back. A gold medalist, he came into limelight when he put up a strong defence for Justice V. Ramaswamy, a judge of the Supreme Court, who was accused of corruption by Punjab and Haryana high Court. This was because it was the first time in India an impeachment motion was carried out against a judge.
Jagdish Khehar is most popular for his unflinching stand and has fought with the judicial system when protecting a colleague for impeachment. In 2010, he was a member of a three jurist panel to examine corruption charges against P.D. Dinakaran, Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court. But before the trial was finished he resigned from his post. The next sitting judge of HC of Karnataka was impeached by Khehar on the basis of harassment allegations by a lady civil judge.
A strong lawyer and a just judge, Khehar will take the apex court for seven months as the Chief Justice of India.
