M A I N   N E W S

Justice RM Lodha is new CJI
Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, April 11
The government today announced the appointment of Justice RM Lodha as the Chief Justice of India (CJI) to succeed Justice P Sathasivam who will retire on April 26.

The appointment, made by President Pranab Mukherjee, would be effective from April 27, an official press release said. Before his elevation to the Supreme Court on December 17, 2008, Justice Lodha was the Chief Justice of the Patna High Court since May 13, 2008. He has been a Judge of the HCs of Rajasthan and Bombay.

Enrolled with the Bar Council of Rajasthan in February 1973, he practised law covering a wide range of aspects — constitutional, civil, company, criminal, taxation and labour — before becoming a permanent Judge of the Rajasthan HC on January 31, 1994. He was a Judge of the Bombay HC for 13 years. Justice Lodha would retire as the CJI on September 27, 2014, following which Justice HL Dattu is likely to succeed him going by the present practice of seniority for such appointments.