Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar appointed next Chief Justice of India

Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar has been appointed the new Chief Justice of India who will assume office after incumbent CJI TS Thakur retires on 4 January 2017. Justice Khehar, who will be the 44th Chief Justice of India, will remain in office from 4 January 2017 till 4 August 2017.

Chief Justice of India Justice Thakur has reportedly recommended the name of Justice Khehar for the appointment.

Justuice Kehar assumed office as a Judge in the  Supreme Court on 13 September 2011. He led the constitution bench which held the NJAC Act unconstitutional. He was a member of the Judges Inquiry Committee for investigating the grounds on which the removal of Justice PD Dinakaran, Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court, has been sought.

Last week the Supreme Court collegium has reportedly decided to defer recommending names for appointment of Judges to the Supreme Court, till Justice JS Khehar assumes office on 4 January 2017.

The collegium, after CJI Thakur's retirement, would comprise of Justice Khehar, Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Jasti Chelameswar, Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Madan B. Lokur.

Justice Kehar was appointed as Judge of the Supreme Court in 2011. Prior to that, he held the office as Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court from 8 August 2010 to 12 September 2011.

He also served as the Chief Justice of Uttarakhand High Court from 29 November 2009 to 7 August 2010.

Justice Kehar had given a separate concurring opinion in the 2G spectrum scam - that no part of the natural resource can be dissipated as a matter of largess, charity, donation or endowment, for private exploitation. Each bit of natural resource expended must bring back a reciprocal consideration.

He also headed a three-judge bench of Punjab and Haryana High Court to decide a case which involved defining the Sikh identity, and said that religion must be perceived as it is, and not as another would like it to be.