Outgoing CJI Chandrachud’s legacy will continue to be debated: Jairam Ramesh

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said outgoing Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud's legacy will continue to be debated and as the main petitioner in at least two very important matters, including a legislation being arbitrarily declared a money bill, he has been "deeply disappointed" with the CJI.

Justice Sanjiv Khanna has been appointed the 51st Chief Justice of India. He will take oath on 11 November, a day after incumbent justice Chandrachud demits office on attaining the age of 65. Friday is the last working day for Chandrachud as CJI.

Justice Chandrachud took over as the CJI on 8 November 2022.

In a post on X, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Ramesh said, "Today is the last working day for the retiring Chief Justice of India. His legacy will continue to be debated, as indeed it should be."

"Personally, as the main petitioner in at least two very important matters, I have been deeply disappointed. First, the brave judge who in his Sept 2018 dissenting judgment called the Aadhar Bill’s passage as a Money Bill a 'fraud on the Constitution', never constituted a full Bench to examine the issues involved in the matter of legislation being arbitrarily declared by the Modi government, as a money bill under Art 110 of the Constitution just to avoid full debate," Ramesh said.

Chandrachud had promised to do so after taking over as Chief Justice of India, he said.

"Second, my challenge of the Modi government’s damaging amendments to the RTI has been awaiting hearing and verdict for over four years now," Ramesh said.