When Justice DY Chandrachud takes over as the 50th Chief Justice of India (CJI) next month, history will be made. As the son of former CJI YV Chandrachud, he will be the only father-son duo to have served as CJI.
Justice YV Chandrachud was appointed CJI in 1978 and retired in 1985, having served the longest tenure of seven years at the post to date. His son, Justice DY Chandrachud, will serve for just over two years, the longest in recent memory.
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YV Chandrachud sentenced Sanjay Gandhi to prison during his tenure in a case involving the film “Kissa Kursi Ka.”
During the Emergency, the Indian government banned the film, a satire on Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay Gandhi’s politics.
Hey look Dad, I made it.#cji #chandrachud #SupremeCourtOfIndia pic.twitter.com/FohPPJSs2r
— Justice DY Chandrachud (@DYChandrachud) October 11, 2022
When Justice DY Chandrachud overruled two of his father’s decisions:
During his tenure as a Supreme Court judge, Justice DY Chandrachud overruled two of his father’s decisions.
The rulings concerned adultery and the right to privacy.
In 2017, Justice Chandrachud explicitly overruled the infamous Habeaus Corpus case, in which the Supreme Court had allowed the suspension of the right to life during the Emergency, with the other judges writing concurring opinions. In the 1975 4:1 verdict, his father was on the majority side. This is known as the ADM Jabalpur case, and the former CJI Chandrachud was one of four of the five judges who upheld a presidential order to impose Emergency in the country in 1976.
Chief Justice of India UU Lalit recommends the name of Justice DY Chandrachud (in file pic) as his successor.
Justice Chandrachud to become the 50th CJI. Chief Justice UU Lalit is retiring on November 8 this year. pic.twitter.com/p0OymLfp0n
— ANI (@ANI) October 11, 2022
The journey of Justice DY Chandrachud
He went on to become one of India’s youngest lawyers to be designated senior advocate at the age of 39, after receiving two advanced degrees in law from Harvard University. He was appointed Additional Solicitor General of India in 1998.
He also taught International Law at Oklahoma University and was a visiting professor of Comparative Constitutional Law at the University of Bombay from 1988 to 1997 during his legal career.
Justice D Y Chandrachud was appointed to the Bombay High Court in 2000, where he served for 13 years. In 2013, Justice Chandrachud was appointed chief justice of the Allahabad High Court, and three years later, he was elevated to the Supreme Court.
