SA Bobde
Image: Twitter

Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde will be the next Chief Justice of India as President Ram Nath Kovind paved his way after signing a warrant on Tuesday appointing him as the next CJI. Justice Bobde will be sworn in as Chief Justice on November 18 and will serve this post for around 18 months. Present Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi on October 18 has recommended second senior-most judge Justice Bobde as his successor. Justice Gogoi was the 46th Chief Justice of India, who took the charge on October 3, 2018, and will demit office on November 17.

Ranjan Gogoi
Justice Gogoi had said some "bigger force" wanted to "deactivate" the office of the CJI.Reuters

Justice Bobde was part of the five-judge constitution bench hearing longest-running Ayodhya land dispute case and in which the judgment is still awaited. The Chief Justice of India (CJI) Rajan Gogoi has written a letter to the government recommending Sharad Arvind Bobde as the next Chief Justice of India, according to reports. Justice Gogoi, the 46th Chief Justice of India, who swore in on October 3, 2018, is retiring on November 17.

The CJI recommended the government to look into the process for SA Bobde as the next head of the judiciary of the country. Official sources said the chief justice has gone by the convention to recommend the name of the next senior judge after him as his successor.