Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud
Former Chief Justice of India
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| November 10 2024 | Completed his term as Chief Justice of India. |
| 2023 | Authored a significant constitutional judgment in the State of Jharkhand v. Brahmputra Metallics Limited case, clarifying the doctrine of legitimate expectations and critiquing the state's approach to policy implementation. The judgment emphasized the state's obligation to act transparently and fairly, challenging the notion of state sovereignty as a colonial-era concept. |
| December 15 2023 | Responded to allegations about case allocation, defending the bench assignment and criticizing those making allegations. |
| December 5 2023 | Received an open letter from Senior Advocate Dushyant Dave alleging violation of listing rules for politically sensitive cases. |
| November 9 2022 | Became the 50th Chief Justice of India, beginning his two-year tenure. |
| October 17 2022 | Nominated as Chief Justice of India designate. |
| 2021 | Elaborated on the doctrine of systemic discrimination and indirect discrimination in a follow-up ruling to the Babita Puniya case, addressing the Union Government's application of neutral medical standards for women's Permanent Commission assessments. The judgment broadened Indian jurisprudence on constitutional equality (Article 14 and 15(1)). |
| April 2021 | Led Supreme Court bench in critically examining the Government of India's Liberalised Vaccination Policy, highlighting its arbitrary nature and challenging its approach to vaccine procurement and distribution. |
| April 27 2021 | Authored a landmark judgment analyzing intersectional violence, emphasizing how caste, gender, and disability intersect in legal interpretations. The judgment critically examined the SC & ST Act, arguing that caste identity need not be the sole ground for the offense to be considered under the act. |
| April 24 2021 | Became a part of the Collegium of the Supreme Court of India, responsible for judicial appointments. |
| April 23 2021 | Justice Chandrachud replaced Chief Justice SA Bobde on the Supreme Court bench addressing COVID-19 pandemic issues after Bobde's retirement. |
| January 11 2021 | Dissented as the lone judge against the dismissal of review petitions in the Aadhaar case, emphasizing the need to further examine the constitutional definition of a 'Money Bill'. |
| 2020 | Awarded the Digital India Award (Platinum Award) for Excellence in Digital Governance by the President of India for the e-Courts Project's work in digital transformation of judicial systems. |
| 2020 | Authored landmark judgment in Secretary, Ministry of Defence v Babita Puniya case, directing the government to consider all women Army officers on Short Service Commissions for Permanent Commissions on an equal basis with male counterparts. The judgment challenged deeply embedded gender stereotypes and patriarchal mindsets in the armed forces. |
| 2020 | Authored judgment in Union of India v Ld. Cdr. Annie Nagaraja case, directing similar relief for women sailors in the Indian Navy. Rejected government arguments about women being unsuitable for naval duties as 'illusory and without foundation', further challenging gender discrimination in the armed forces. |
| 2020 | Authored a landmark judgment granting bail to Arnab Goswami, emphasizing the importance of personal liberty and critiquing the misuse of criminal law for selective harassment. In his judgment, he highlighted the principle of 'bail, not jail' and stressed the critical role of the judiciary in preserving human dignity and the presumption of innocence. |
| 2020 | In the case of Rahna Jalal v. State of Kerala, delivered a significant judgment regarding anticipatory bail for a person accused of pronouncing triple talaq. Rejected the state's argument about bail restrictions and affirmed the fundamental right to personal liberty, interpreting legal provisions to protect individual rights. |
| 2020 | In the Chief Election Commissioner of India v. M.R. Vijayabhaskar case, Chandrachud upheld media's freedom of speech by dismissing the Election Commission's plea to restrain reporting of court proceedings related to COVID-19 pandemic commentary. |
| 2020 | During the COVID-19 pandemic second wave, Chandrachud strongly criticized State Governments for attempting to suppress citizens' free speech by registering police complaints against those seeking medical help online. |
| May 2020 | Initiated online training for over 1.6 lakh lawyers, judges, and court staff on technological awareness during the COVID-19 pandemic, continuing through December 2020. |
| May 13 2020 | Inaugurated Virtual Courts in Delhi as part of the e-Committee's digital judiciary initiative, allowing 24x7 online adjudication of cases, starting with traffic violation cases under the Motor Vehicles Act. |
| 2019 | Recorded over 354.1 crores e-transactions through the e-Courts Project, the highest number for any electronic governance project in India. |
| November 2019 | During the review petition hearing of the Sabarimala judgment, dissented with Justice Nariman against referring the matter to a larger bench, maintaining that the parameters for review jurisdiction had not been met. |
| 2018 | Authored judgment in B.K. Pavitra II v. Union of India case, upholding the constitutional validity of the Karnataka Extension of Consequential Seniority to Government Servants Promoted on the Basis of Reservation Act. The judgment provided a nuanced analysis of 'efficiency' and 'merit' that supports substantive equality. |
| 2018 | Authored a landmark concurring judgment in the Sabarimala temple case (Indian Young Lawyers Association v. State of Kerala), declaring the prohibition of menstruating women from entering the temple as discriminatory and a violation of fundamental rights. He argued that physiological features cannot be used to exclude women from religious worship and that such exclusion amounts to a form of untouchability. |
| 2018 | In the Romila Thapar & Ors. v. Union of India & Ors case, Chandrachud dissented with the majority opinion, advocating for a Special Investigation Team to probe the arrests related to the Bhima Koregaon violence. |
| 2018 | Played a significant role in the Supreme Court's judgment declaring Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code unconstitutional, overturning the previous 2013 judgment that had criminalized homosexuality. |
| September 28 2018 | Authored a landmark dissenting opinion in the Aadhaar case (Puttaswamy v. Union of India), critiquing the Aadhaar Act as unconstitutional and potentially creating a surveillance state. His dissent challenged the Act's passage as a Money Bill and raised significant concerns about privacy, individual identity, and technological risks. |
| 2017 | Delivered a lead opinion in the Justice K. S. Puttaswamy case, where a unanimous nine-judge bench of the Indian Supreme Court affirmed the right to privacy as a constitutionally guaranteed fundamental right, grounding it in principles of dignity, liberty, and individual autonomy. |
| May 13 2016 | Appointed to the Supreme Court of India. |
| 2013 | Critically analyzed the Suresh Kumar Koushal v. Naz Foundation case, where a two-judge bench upheld Section 377, describing the decision as striking 'a discordant note' in constitutional jurisprudence on privacy rights. |
| October 31 2013 | Appointed as Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court. |
This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia article Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.