Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud: A Man of Law Who is Leading Social Transformation in India

The Chief Justice of the apex court in India, D.Y. Chandrachud, is known as a man who is not afraid to dissent. He has been involved in many historic judgements and is leading the charge to ensure greater transparency in the functioning of different government organs and agencies. DY Chandrachud is a second-generation legal luminary and the son of the longest-serving chief justice of India, Y.V. Chandrachud. He assumed the role of CJI in November 2022 for a two-year term and is set to retire in November 2024. In his tenure, Chandrachud has been part of several key judgements, including the Ram Janmbhoomi verdict, Article 370 and same-sex marriage. Here’s a look at the life of the current Chief Justice of India.

D.Y. Chandrachud’s Early Life & Education

Born into a Marathi Brahmin family in Pune, D.Y. Chandrachud attended Cathedral and John Connon School, Mumbai and St Columba’s School, Delhi. 

Thereafter, he graduated in Economics and mathematics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi and went on to obtain his Bachelor’s in law from the Faculty of Law, Delhi University in 1982.

In 1983, he obtained a Master of Laws from Harvard Law School and later earned a Doctorate in Juridical Science in 1986. His doctoral thesis was on affirmative action, where he examined law in a comparative approach.

 

Who is D.Y. Chandrachud: Personal Information

Full Name	Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud (D.Y. Chandrachud)
Date of Birth	11 November, 1959
Place of Birth	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Father’s Name	Yeshwant Vishnu Chandrachud
Mother’s Name	Prabha Chandrachud
Spouse	Rashmi Chandrachud (died 2007)   Kalpana Das
Children	Abhinav, Chintan, Priyanka, Mahi(foster daughters)
Profession	Lawyer and Judge, Chief Justice of India

Justice D.Y. Chandrachud’s Career

After studying law at Delhi University, he worked for a while as a junior advocate, assisting lawyers and judges. He also worked under the famed legal luminary Fali Nariman.

Upon graduating from Harvard, he worked with Sullivan and Cromwell, an experience he describes as a sheer fluke due to the firm’s strong bias against hiring Indians and people from developing countries.

He returned to India and practised at the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court of India. In June 1998, the Bombay High Court designated Chandrachud as a senior advocate and, later that same year, appointed him as Additional Solicitor General of India.

Bombay High Court Elevated him as a judge on 29 March 2000. During this time, he also acted as the director of the Maharashtra Judicial Academy. 

On 31 October 2013, he was appointed as the Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court, a role he served for almost three years until his elevation to the Supreme Court of India on 13 March 2016.

Since 2021, he has been a part of the Supreme Court Collegium, which consists of five senior judges of the Supreme Court and oversees the appointment of judges to the Supreme Court and High Courts.

D.Y. Chandrachud was nominated and later appointed as the 50th Chief Justice of India on 9 November 2022.

 

Notable Judgements by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud

 has been on the highest number of constitutional benches formed to deliver judgements on questions involving constitutional questions.

Some of his notable judgements are constitutional law, comparative law, human rights, affirmative action, gender justice, free speech, personal liberty and dignity, etc.

From the Ayodhya Verdict to same-sex marriage and the abrogation of Article 370, Chandrachud has taken a clear position in the judgements and showcased his commitment to the powers vested in the apex court and their transformative potential for the nation.

His recent judgement on electoral bonds has been in the news for making the right noise and making an attempt to ensure greater transparency in the funding of political parties.

The highest number of CJI Chandrachud’s Judgments are in Service (94) and Criminal (89) cases. However, his most impactful Judgments were written in cases dealing with Constitutional (45) issues.

 

A Beacon of Judicial Oversight

CJI D.Y. Chandrachud has been instrumental in ensuring that the law applies to everyone equally and the Constitution provisions are respected. His contribution to the country has been remarkable, and he has restored the strength of the judiciary by upholding the independence and interpretational powers of the Supreme court as the legal guardian and interpreter of the Indian Constitution.

 

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