Justice Ramesh Chandra Lahoti

New Delhi, May 25 (PTI): Justice Ramesh Chandra Lahoti was today appointed the next Chief Justice of India.

Lahoti, the senior-most judge in the Supreme Court, succeeds Justice S. Rajendra Babu, who retires on June 1 after holding office for 31 days.

Justice Lahoti, who will be the 35th Chief Justice of India, will hold office for 17 months.

Born in Guna in Madhya Pradesh in 1940, Lahoti enrolled as an advocate in 1962 and was recruited from the bar to the state higher judicial service to be appointed a district and sessions judge.

After a year, he resigned in May 1978 and went to practise in Madhya Pradesh High Court before being appointed an additional judge in May 1988. Lahoti was made a permanent judge in August 1989.

After being transferred to Delhi High Court in February 1994, he was elevated as a judge in the apex court in December 1998.

Justice Lahoti is known for his robust common sense, insight into law, courage of conviction and a visionary yet humane approach which are reflected in his judgments.

In the Javed versus State of Haryana case, he upheld a law disqualifying those with more than two children from standing in panchayat elections.

When it came to reservation in post-graduate courses in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Justice Lahoti held that beyond the basic level of education in medical sciences, “reservation is a reversion or diversion from the performance of primary duty of the state”.

Justice Lahoti has often cautioned against the abuse of power by public officials. In one such judgment, he said: “Senior officers occupying key positions are not supposed to mortgage their own discretion, volition and decision-making authority... at the behest of politicians for carrying out commands having no sanctity in law.”