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Chief Justices of India
All 53 CJIs (1950–present) — constitutional provisions, appointment process, collegium system, landmark judgments, NHRC, and high-yield UPSC exam traps. Current CJI: Justice Surya Kant (53rd, since Nov 2025).
⚖️ Constitutional Framework — Key Articles
| Article | Provision |
|---|---|
| 124(1) | There shall be a Supreme Court of India consisting of a CJI and such other judges as Parliament may prescribe (currently 33 + CJI = 34 total) |
| 124(2) | Judges appointed by the President after consultation with SC and HC judges as President deems necessary; CJI must always be consulted for other SC judge appointments |
| 124(3) | Qualifications: Indian citizen + 5 years as HC judge OR 10 years as HC advocate OR distinguished jurist (President's opinion) |
| 124(4) & (5) | Removal only by Presidential order on address of each House in same session — (a) majority of total membership + (b) two-thirds of members present and voting. Grounds: proved misbehaviour or incapacity. Governed by Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968 |
| 126 | Acting CJI: President appoints another SC judge when CJI's office is vacant or CJI is absent/unable to perform duties |
| 127 | Ad Hoc judges: CJI may (with President's consent) request an HC judge to sit as an SC judge if quorum is lacking |
| 128 | Retired judges: CJI may (with President's consent + judge's consent) request a retired SC/HC judge to sit temporarily |
| 60 | CJI administers oath of office to the President of India; first instance: CJI H.J. Kania administered oath to President Rajendra Prasad on 26 January 1950 |
🔄 Appointment & Removal
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Convention | Senior-most judge of the Supreme Court is appointed CJI — this is a convention, not a constitutional mandate |
| Process | Outgoing CJI recommends successor (senior-most judge) in writing → Ministry of Law processes → President issues warrant of appointment |
| Oath | CJI takes oath before the President (Article 124(6)) |
| Retirement age | SC judges (including CJI) retire at 65 years of age — fixed by Article 124(2); not removable before this except by impeachment |
| Removal | By impeachment under Article 124(4) — requires address of both Houses in the same session with special majority; Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968 governs procedure; no CJI has ever been impeached |
| Supersession controversy (1973) | PM Indira Gandhi bypassed three senior judges (Justices Shelat, Grover, Hegde) to appoint A.N. Ray as CJI. A political controversy; convention of seniority restored post-1977 |
🏛️ Collegium System — Three Judges Cases
| Case | Year | Ruling |
|---|---|---|
| First Judges Case — S.P. Gupta v. Union of India | 1981 | "Consultation" in Article 124(2) does NOT mean "concurrence" — executive had primacy; government could disagree with CJI's recommendation |
| Second Judges Case — SCAORA v. Union of India | 1993 | 9-judge bench overruled S.P. Gupta. Devised the Collegium System: CJI + 2 senior-most SC judges must recommend; CJI's opinion is binding on the executive |
| Third Judges Case — Presidential Reference | 1998 | 9-judge bench (advisory opinion): expanded Collegium to CJI + 4 senior-most SC judges. If 2 of 4 collegium members disagree, CJI should not recommend; if collegium reiterates, government bound to accept |
| NJAC Strike-down — SCAORA v. Union of India | 2015 | 5-judge bench (4:1) struck down 99th Constitutional Amendment (2014) that created NJAC (Article 124A). Held: NJAC violated judicial independence — a basic structure doctrine element. Collegium system restored |
Current position (April 2026): Collegium system (CJI + 4 senior SC judges) remains in force. For HC judges: CJI + 2 senior-most SC judges.
📋 All Chief Justices of India — CJI 1 to 30
| No. | Name | Tenure | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | H.J. Kania | 26 Jan 1950 – 6 Nov 1951 | First CJI; administered oath to President Rajendra Prasad on 26 Jan 1950 |
| 2 | M. Patanjali Sastri | 7 Nov 1951 – 3 Jan 1954 | — |
| 3 | Mehr Chand Mahajan | 4 Jan 1954 – 22 Dec 1954 | ~11 months |
| 4 | B.K. Mukherjea | 23 Dec 1954 – 31 Jan 1956 | — |
| 5 | S.R. Das | 1 Feb 1956 – 30 Sep 1959 | ~3 yr 8 mo |
| 6 | B.P. Sinha | 1 Oct 1959 – 31 Jan 1964 | ~4 yr 4 mo |
| 7 | P.B. Gajendragadkar | 1 Feb 1964 – 15 Mar 1966 | — |
| 8 | A.K. Sarkar | 16 Mar 1966 – 29 Jun 1966 | ~3 months |
| 9 | K. Subba Rao | 30 Jun 1966 – 11 Apr 1967 | ~9 months; resigned to contest 1967 Presidential election (lost to Zakir Husain) |
| 10 | K.N. Wanchoo | 12 Apr 1967 – 24 Feb 1968 | ~10 months |
| 11 | Mohammad Hidayatullah | 25 Feb 1968 – 16 Dec 1970 | First Muslim CJI; later VP (1979–84) and Acting President (1969); only person to hold all three offices |
| 12 | J.C. Shah | 17 Dec 1970 – 21 Jan 1971 | ~36 days (very short tenure) |
| 13 | S.M. Sikri | 22 Jan 1971 – 25 Apr 1973 | Presided over Kesavananda Bharati (1973) — Basic Structure Doctrine; last day of his tenure |
| 14 | A.N. Ray | 26 Apr 1973 – 27 Jan 1977 | Appointed by superseding 3 senior judges (Indira Gandhi); presided over ADM Jabalpur (Habeas Corpus case) 1976 |
| 15 | M.H. Beg | 28 Jan 1977 – 21 Feb 1978 | Presided over Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India bench (judgment 25 Jan 1978) |
| 16 | Y.V. Chandrachud | 22 Feb 1978 – 11 Jul 1985 | Longest-serving CJI — ~7 years 4 months; wrote Shah Bano judgment (1985); father of CJI D.Y. Chandrachud |
| 17 | P.N. Bhagwati | 12 Jul 1985 – 20 Dec 1986 | Pioneer of PIL (public interest litigation) in India |
| 18 | R.S. Pathak | 21 Dec 1986 – 18 Jun 1989 | — |
| 19 | E.S. Venkataramaiah | 19 Jun 1989 – 17 Dec 1989 | ~6 months |
| 20 | Sabyasachi Mukharji | 18 Dec 1989 – 25 Sep 1990 | Died in office; first CJI to die while in service post-1950 |
| 21 | Ranganath Misra | 26 Sep 1990 – 24 Nov 1991 | Later became NHRC Chairperson (first) and elected to Rajya Sabha |
| 22 | K.N. Singh | 25 Nov 1991 – 12 Dec 1991 | Shortest tenure — 17 days (retired at 65) |
| 23 | M.H. Kania | 13 Dec 1991 – 17 Nov 1992 | ~11 months |
| 24 | L.M. Sharma | 18 Nov 1992 – 11 Feb 1993 | ~3 months |
| 25 | M.N. Venkatachaliah | 12 Feb 1993 – 24 Oct 1994 | Presided during Second Judges Case (1993) — established collegium system |
| 26 | A.M. Ahmadi | 25 Oct 1994 – 24 Mar 1997 | — |
| 27 | J.S. Verma | 25 Mar 1997 – 17 Jan 1998 | Presided over Vishaka v. Rajasthan (1997) — sexual harassment guidelines; later chaired Justice Verma Committee (2013) on rape laws after Nirbhaya |
| 28 | M.M. Punchhi | 18 Jan 1998 – 9 Oct 1998 | ~9 months; later chaired Punchhi Commission on Centre-State Relations (2007–10) |
| 29 | A.S. Anand | 10 Oct 1998 – 31 Oct 2001 | Third Judges Case / Presidential Reference (1998) advisory opinion given during early part of tenure; became NHRC Chairperson after retirement |
| 30 | S.P. Bharucha | 1 Nov 2001 – 5 May 2002 | ~6 months |
📋 All Chief Justices of India — CJI 31 to 53 (Recent)
| No. | Name | Tenure | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | B.N. Kirpal | 6 May 2002 – 7 Nov 2002 | ~6 months; part of Vishaka bench (1997) |
| 32 | G.B. Pattanaik | 8 Nov 2002 – 19 Dec 2002 | ~41 days |
| 33 | V.N. Khare | 19 Dec 2002 – 1 May 2004 | ~1 yr 4 mo |
| 34 | S. Rajendra Babu | 2 May 2004 – 1 Jun 2004 | ~30 days |
| 35 | R.C. Lahoti | 1 Jun 2004 – 31 Oct 2005 | ~1 yr 5 mo |
| 36 | Y.K. Sabharwal | 1 Nov 2005 – 13 Jan 2007 | ~1 yr 2 mo |
| 37 | K.G. Balakrishnan | 14 Jan 2007 – 12 May 2010 | First Dalit CJI; ~3 yr 4 mo; became NHRC Chairperson after retirement |
| 38 | S.H. Kapadia | 12 May 2010 – 28 Sep 2012 | ~2 yr 5 mo |
| 39 | Altamas Kabir | 29 Sep 2012 – 18 Jul 2013 | ~10 months |
| 40 | P. Sathasivam | 19 Jul 2013 – 26 Apr 2014 | ~9 months; later appointed Governor of Kerala (first retired CJI to be appointed Governor) |
| 41 | R.M. Lodha | 27 Apr 2014 – 27 Sep 2014 | ~5 months; later headed BCCI reforms committee (Lodha Committee) |
| 42 | H.L. Dattu | 28 Sep 2014 – 2 Dec 2015 | ~1 yr 2 mo; became NHRC Chairperson |
| 43 | T.S. Thakur | 3 Dec 2015 – 3 Jan 2017 | Publicly broke down in court over judicial vacancy crisis while addressing PM Modi |
| 44 | J.S. Khehar | 4 Jan 2017 – 27 Aug 2017 | First Sikh CJI; ~8 months |
| 45 | Dipak Misra | 28 Aug 2017 – 2 Oct 2018 | Presided over Section 377 IPC decriminalisation (Navtej Singh Johar, 6 Sep 2018); four senior judges' historic press conference against him (Jan 2018) |
| 46 | Ranjan Gogoi | 3 Oct 2018 – 17 Nov 2019 | First CJI from Northeast (Assam); presided over Ayodhya verdict (9 Nov 2019); nominated to Rajya Sabha March 2020 — first retired CJI to become Rajya Sabha MP |
| 47 | S.A. Bobde | 18 Nov 2019 – 23 Apr 2021 | ~1 yr 5 mo; COVID-era court operations |
| 48 | N.V. Ramana | 24 Apr 2021 – 26 Aug 2022 | ~1 yr 4 mo; raised concerns on judicial vacancies |
| 49 | U.U. Lalit | 27 Aug 2022 – 8 Nov 2022 | ~74 days; attempted to speed up collegium transparency |
| 50 | D.Y. Chandrachud | 9 Nov 2022 – 10 Nov 2024 | Son of CJI Y.V. Chandrachud — first father-son CJI pair; upheld abrogation of Article 370 (J&K); Electoral Bonds struck down; digitalisation of courts |
| 51 | Sanjiv Khanna | 11 Nov 2024 – 13 May 2025 | ~6 months; key constitutional bench decisions |
| 52 | B.R. Gavai | 14 May 2025 – 23 Nov 2025 | Second Dalit CJI; first Buddhist CJI — father embraced Buddhism with Ambedkar in 1956; ~6 months |
| 53 | Surya Kant ⬅ Current | 24 Nov 2025 – Feb 2027 (due) | Current CJI as of April 2026; expected tenure ~15 months |
🏆 Key Firsts & Records
| Record | Name (CJI No.) | Details |
|---|---|---|
| First CJI | H.J. Kania (1) | 26 Jan 1950; also administered first Presidential oath |
| First Muslim CJI | Mohammad Hidayatullah (11) | 25 Feb 1968; also served as VP and Acting President |
| First Dalit CJI | K.G. Balakrishnan (37) | 14 Jan 2007; later NHRC Chairperson |
| Second Dalit CJI / First Buddhist CJI | B.R. Gavai (52) | 14 May 2025 |
| First Sikh CJI | J.S. Khehar (44) | 4 Jan 2017 |
| First CJI from Northeast | Ranjan Gogoi (46) | From Assam; also presided over Ayodhya verdict |
| First woman CJI | None yet | As of April 2026, India has had no woman CJI. Justice B.V. Nagarathna projected to become first (Sept 2027; ~36-day tenure) |
| Longest-serving CJI | Y.V. Chandrachud (16) | ~7 years 4 months (22 Feb 1978 – 11 Jul 1985) |
| Shortest-serving CJI | K.N. Singh (22) | 17 days (25 Nov – 12 Dec 1991) — retired at 65 shortly after appointment |
| Father-son CJI pair | Y.V. Chandrachud (16) & D.Y. Chandrachud (50) | First and only such pair in Indian history |
| CJI who held all 3 top offices | Mohammad Hidayatullah (11) | CJI (1968–70) + Acting President (1969) + Vice-President (1979–84) |
| CJI who became Rajya Sabha MP | Ranjan Gogoi (46) | Nominated March 2020 — first retired CJI nominated to Rajya Sabha; controversial |
| CJI who became Governor | P. Sathasivam (40) | Governor of Kerala — first retired CJI appointed as Governor |
| CJI who resigned for Presidential election | K. Subba Rao (9) | Resigned Apr 1967 to contest Presidential election; lost to Zakir Husain |
📜 Landmark Judgments by CJI
| CJI | Judgment | Year | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| S.M. Sikri (13) | Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala | 1973 | 13-judge bench; established Basic Structure Doctrine — Parliament cannot amend the Constitution to destroy its basic structure; delivered on the last day of CJI Sikri's tenure (25 Apr 1973) |
| A.N. Ray (14) | ADM Jabalpur v. Shivkant Shukla (Habeas Corpus case) | 1976 | During Emergency, majority ruled Article 21 (Right to Life) stands suspended; Courts cannot review detention. Justice H.R. Khanna alone dissented — celebrated as a beacon of judicial independence; Khanna was later superseded for CJI |
| M.H. Beg (15) | Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India | 1978 | 7-judge bench (delivered 25 Jan 1978, last day before Chandrachud became CJI); expanded Article 21 — any law depriving personal liberty must be fair, just, and reasonable; golden triangle of Articles 14, 19, 21 |
| Y.V. Chandrachud (16) | Mohd. Ahmed Khan v. Shah Bano Begum | 1985 | 5-judge bench; CJI Chandrachud wrote the judgment; upheld Muslim women's right to maintenance under Section 125 CrPC; Parliament overturned via Muslim Women Act, 1986 |
| J.S. Verma (27) | Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan | 1997 | 3-judge bench (CJI Verma, Manohar J., Kirpal J.); Vishaka Guidelines on sexual harassment at workplace — the de facto law until POSH Act, 2013 |
| Dipak Misra (45) | Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India | 2018 | 5-judge Constitution Bench; partially struck down Section 377 IPC — decriminalised consensual same-sex acts between adults (6 Sep 2018) |
| Ranjan Gogoi (46) | M. Siddiq v. Mahant Suresh Das (Ayodhya verdict) | 2019 | 5-judge bench; unanimous judgment 9 Nov 2019; disputed land awarded to Ram Lalla; Sunni Waqf Board gets alternate 5-acre site; Ram Mandir now consecrated (Jan 2024) |
| D.Y. Chandrachud (50) | Article 370 abrogation (J&K); Electoral Bonds | 2023–24 | 5-judge bench upheld abrogation of Article 370; Electoral Bonds Scheme struck down unanimously (Feb 2024) as violating right to information under Article 19(1)(a) |
🛡️ NHRC Chairperson — Eligibility & Change
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original provision (1993) | Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993: NHRC Chairperson must be a retired CJI specifically |
| After 2019 Amendment | Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Act, 2019: Eligibility broadened — Chairperson may now be a retired CJI OR retired SC judge (not necessarily CJI) |
| Exam trap | Many questions use the old (pre-2019) provision. Correct post-2019: "retired CJI or retired SC judge" |
| Current Chairperson (Apr 2026) | Justice V. Ramasubramanian — retired SC judge (not a former CJI); assumed charge 23 December 2024; appointed under the amended provision |
⚠️ Exam Traps & High-Yield Points
| # | Trap / Common Mistake | Correct Fact |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maneka Gandhi judgment was delivered under CJI Y.V. Chandrachud | Delivered 25 Jan 1978 — presiding CJI was M.H. Beg (CJI 15). Chandrachud became CJI on 22 Feb 1978 — after the judgment |
| 2 | Shah Bano judgment was NOT by CJI Chandrachud | Wrong — CJI Y.V. Chandrachud personally wrote the Shah Bano judgment (1985). Correctly attributed to him |
| 3 | Collegium = CJI + 2 judges (for SC appointments) | Post Third Judges Case (1998): Collegium for SC appointments = CJI + 4 senior-most SC judges. CJI + 2 applies to HC appointments |
| 4 | First Judges Case (1981) established collegium | First Judges Case gave executive primacy (consultation ≠ concurrence). Collegium established by Second Judges Case (1993) |
| 5 | India has had a woman CJI | As of April 2026, India has had no woman CJI. Justice B.V. Nagarathna is expected to become the first in Sept 2027 |
| 6 | K.N. Singh held the shortest CJI tenure at 17 days | Correct — K.N. Singh (CJI 22) served only 17 days; J.C. Shah (36 days) and S. Rajendra Babu (30 days) are close but longer |
| 7 | NHRC Chairperson must be a retired CJI | Post 2019 amendment: retired CJI or retired SC judge. Current chair (V. Ramasubramanian) is a retired SC judge, not a former CJI |
| 8 | Mohammad Hidayatullah was President of India | He was Acting President (20 Jul – 24 Aug 1969, when V.V. Giri resigned to contest elections), NOT President. He also served as Vice-President (1979–84) |
| 9 | Y.V. and D.Y. Chandrachud are the same person | They are father and son — both became CJI; first such pair in Indian history |
| 10 | ADM Jabalpur — all judges ruled against civil liberties | Justice H.R. Khanna alone dissented, holding Right to Life cannot be suspended during Emergency. He was later superseded for CJI as punishment for the dissent |
| 11 | Ranjan Gogoi was the first CJI to become an MP | Correct — first retired CJI nominated to Rajya Sabha (March 2020). This is constitutional but was widely criticised as undermining judicial independence |
| 12 | Appointment of CJI is constitutionally mandated to follow seniority | Seniority is a convention, not a constitutional mandate. It was violated in 1973 when Indira Gandhi superseded three senior judges to appoint A.N. Ray |
| 13 | SC judges can be removed by a simple majority | Removal requires special majority in each House in the same session: (a) majority of total membership + (b) two-thirds of members present and voting. No SC judge has ever been impeached |