Justice H.L. Dattu to be next CJI
Justice Dattu is set to take up office on 28 September
New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday appointed justice H.L. Dattu as the next chief justice of India, a press release from the government stated.
With a term slightly over a year, justice Dattu is set to take up office on 28 September, a day after chief justice R.M. Lodha retires. He was born on 3 December 1950, and began practising as an advocate in Bangalore in 1975.
He was elevated as a judge in the Karnataka high court from the position of the senior standing counsel for the income tax department in 1995. Thereafter, he was appointed as chief justice in the Chhattisgarh high court on12 February 2007 and later, Kerala high court from 18 May 2007 until his move to the Supreme Court in 2008.
Justice Dattu presides over the 2G spectrum allocation scam hearings. He has been known to take a strong stand regarding rights of accused and undertrial prisoners, even in the face of public dissent and pressure.
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