Chief Justices of India
The Chief Justice of India (CJI) is the highest judicial authority in the country and leads the Supreme Court of India. The CJI holds the critical responsibility of upholding the principles of fair and impartial justice. Over the years, several eminent jurists have held this esteemed position, contributing to India's legal system through important decisions and reforms.
Here is the The Complete list of Chief Justices of India:
Name | Date of Appointment | Held Office Till |
Hon'ble Justice Harilal Jekisundas Kania | 26/01/1950 | 06/11/1951 |
Hon'ble Justice M. Patanjali Sastri | 07/11/1951 | 03/01/1954 |
Hon'ble Justice Mehr Chand Mahajan | 04/01/1954 | 22/12/1954 |
Hon'ble Justice Bijan Kumar Mukherjea | 23/12/1954 | 31/01/1956 |
Hon'ble Justice Sudhi Ranjan Das | 01/02/1956 | 30/09/1959 |
Hon'ble Justice Bhuvneshwar Prasad Sinha | 01/10/1959 | 31/01/1964 |
Hon'ble Justice P.B. Gajendragadkar | 01/02/1964 | 15/03/1966 |
Hon'ble Justice A.K. Sarkar | 16/03/1966 | 29/06/1966 |
Hon'ble Justice K. Subba Rao | 30/06/1966 | 11/04/1967 |
Hon'ble Justice K.N. Wanchoo | 12/04/1967 | 24/02/1968 |
Hon'ble Justice M. Hidayatullah | 25/02/1968 | 16/12/1970 |
Hon'ble Justice J.C. Shah | 17/12/1970 | 21/01/1971 |
Hon'ble Justice S.M. Sikri | 22/01/1971 | 25/04/1973 |
Hon'ble Justice A.N. Ray | 26/04/1973 | 28/01/1977 |
Hon'ble Justice M. Hameedullah Beg | 29/01/1977 | 21/02/1978 |
Hon'ble Justice Y.V. Chandrachud | 22/02/1978 | 11/07/1985 |
Hon'ble Justice P.N. Bhagwati | 12/07/1985 | 20/12/1986 |
Hon'ble Justice R.S. Pathak | 21/12/1986 | 18/06/1989 |
Hon'ble Justice E.S. Venkataramiah | 19/06/1989 | 17/12/1989 |
Hon'ble Justice Sabyasachi Mukherjee | 18/12/1989 | 25/09/1990 |
Hon'ble Justice Ranganath Misra | 25/09/1990 | 24/11/1991 |
Hon'ble Justice K.N. Singh | 25/11/1991 | 12/12/1991 |
Hon'ble Justice M.H. Kania | 13/12/1991 | 17/11/1992 |
Hon'ble Justice L.M. Sharma | 18/11/1992 | 11/02/1993 |
Hon'ble Justice M.N. Venkatachaliah | 12/02/1993 | 24/10/1994 |
Hon'ble Justice A.M. Ahmadi | 25/10/1994 | 24/03/1997 |
Hon'ble Justice J.S. Verma | 25/03/1997 | 17/01/1998 |
Hon'ble Justice M.M. Punchhi | 18/01/1998 | 09/10/1998 |
Hon'ble Dr. Justice A.S. Anand | 10/10/1998 | 31/10/2001 |
Hon'ble Justice S.P. Bharucha | 01/11/2001 | 05/05/2002 |
Hon'ble Justice B.N. Kirpal | 06/05/2002 | 07/11/2002 |
Hon'ble Justice G.B. Pattanaik | 08/11/2002 | 18/12/2002 |
Hon'ble Justice V.N. Khare | 19/12/2002 | 01/05/2004 |
Hon'ble Justice S. Rajendra Babu | 02/05/2004 | 31/05/2004 |
Hon'ble Justice R.C. Lahoti | 01/06/2004 | 31/10/2005 |
Hon'ble Justice Y.K. Sabharwal | 01/11/2005 | 13/01/2007 |
Hon'ble Justice K.G. Balakrishnan | 14/01/2007 | 12/05/2010 |
Hon'ble Justice S.H. Kapadia | 12/05/2010 | 28/09/2012 |
Hon'ble Justice Altamas Kabir | 29/09/2012 | 18/07/2013 |
Hon'ble Justice P. Sathasivam | 19/07/2013 | 26/04/2014 |
Hon'ble Justice R. M. Lodha | 27/04/2014 | 27/09/2014 |
Hon'ble Justice H.L. Dattu | 28/09/2014 | 02/12/2015 |
Hon'ble Justice T. S. Thakur | 03/12/2015 | 03/01/2017 |
Hon'ble Jagdish Singh Khehar | 04/01/2017 | 27/08/2017 |
Hon'ble Justice Dipak Misra | 28/08/2017 | 02/10/2018 |
Hon'ble Ranjan Gogoi | 03/10/2018 | 17/11/2019 |
Hon'ble Sharad Arvind Bobde | 18/11/2019 | 23/04/2021 |
Hon'ble Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana | 24/04/2021 | 26/08/2022 |
Hon'ble UU Lalit | 27/08/2022 | 08/11/2022 |
Hon'ble DY Chandrachud | 09/11/2022 | 10/11/2024 |
Hon'ble Justice Sanjiv Khanna | 11/11/2024 | Present |
FAQs on Chief Justice of India
- Who is the Chief Justice of India (CJI)?
The Chief Justice of India is the head of the judicial system of India and the Supreme Court, the highest constitutional court in the country.
- How is the Chief Justice of India appointed?
The President of India appoints the CJI, typically based on seniority—the longest-serving Supreme Court judge is usually selected.
- Who was the first Chief Justice of India?
Justice Harilal J. Kania was the first Chief Justice of India, serving from January 26, 1950, to November 6, 1951.
- Who is the current Chief Justice of India as of 2025?
As of April 2025, the current CJI is Justice D. Y. Chandrachud, who assumed office on November 9, 2022. He is the 50th Chief Justice of India.
- How many CJIs have there been so far?
As of 2025, India has had 50 Chief Justices.
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