Tenure Of Chief Justice NV Ramana: Hits And Misses

Chief Justice of India NV Ramana took on the reins of the Supreme Court of India on April 24, 2021. The hope of the citizenry in the judiciary was high as the Top Court had many pending constitutional issues to be decided. With NV Ramana as the Chief Justice, the Apex Court was able to retain the calm that it needed after the turbulent times amidst allegations being levelled against the then Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi.

The Chief Justice of India is the administrative head of the Supreme Court. This position confers upon him the power to constitute benches to hear matters, popularly known as power of "master of roster".

CJI Ramana's tenure had a lot of hits and a few misses but the evolution of law took place in an exemplary way.

Let's take a look at some of the most important legal developments with Chief Justice NV Ramana at the helm of affairs. 

Pegasus - Constitution of Inquiry Committee

Supreme Court constituted a committee to probe the allegations of surveillance against the Government in October 2021. The bench consisted of Chief Justice of India NV Ramana and Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli. The Court held that Government could not evade judicial review on account of national security. The Committee submitted its report stating that five out of twenty nine phones examined by it were infected with the Pegasus- a military grade spyware.

Suo Motu Cognisance In Lakhimpur Kheri Matter

The Chief Justice led bench took suo motu cognisance of the Lakhimpur Kheri incident wherein four farmers, protesting against farm laws passed by the Government, were mowed down by an SUV. Chief Justice Ramana had questions about the non-arrest of Ashish Mishra, prime accused and also the son of union minister. Later on, Ashish Mishra was arrested and sent to judicial custody.

Sedition Kept In Abeyance

The Supreme Court, in May 2022, directed that Section 124A be kept in abeyance and no FIR be registered under the provision. The constitutional validity of Sedition was challenged in the Supreme Court. The central government took the stand that it will reconsider the provision which precipitated the Chief Justice led bench to suspend the operation of the provision. Justice Ramana compared Sedition to a tool given to a carpenter "to cut a piece of wood and he uses it to cut the entire forest itself."

Collegium Recommended 9 Judges To SC

The most defining moment in the Indian judiciary when the Chief Justice Ramana led collegium appointed as many as nine judges to the Supreme Court of India. This was an unprecedented event. Justice BV Nagarathna is likely to assume office of the Chief Justice of India in 2027. Apart from this, the collegiums with Chief Justice Ramana at the helm recommended as many as 200 names for appointment as judges of the High Courts of the country.

Electoral Bond - Quintessential Judicial Evasion

The electoral bond matter, which has been pending adjudication since 2017, was not heard even in Chief Justice Ramana's tenure. This could be one of the quintessential moments of judicial evasion. The Chief Justice of India's endeavour, in respect of his administrative powers as the master of roster, is ought to be to decide and accord finality to matters of constitutionality to impending issues that have widespread ramifications in the country. Electoral bonds legalise opacity in funding of political parties and erect an architecture that denies informed consent to the electorate.

The Chief Justice of India NV Ramana demitted office on August 26 and Justice UU Lalit assumed the office of the CJI on August 27. There are a lot of expectations from the Supreme Court as many constitutional matters are awaiting adjudication.