Sharad Arvind Bobde takes Oath as 47th Chief Justice of India

Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde who was part of the recent historic Ayodhya verdict, administered oath as the 47th Chief Justice of India by President Ram Nath Kovind today.

Bobde, 63, succeeds Justice Ranjan Gogoi who abdicated office on Sunday. He took oath in the name of God in English at a brief ceremony held at the Durbar Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. He will have a tenure of over 17 months as the CJI and is due to retire on April 23, 2021.

Soon after taking the oath, he took the blessings of his mother by touching her feet, who has been brought to the president's house on a stretcher. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, PM Narendra Modi and several senior ministers were present at the ceremony. Former vice president Hamid Ansari and former prime minister Manmohan Singh have also appeared in the ceremony.

Former CJI Gogoi walked up to Union ministers and senior political leaders at the gathering and shook hands with warm wishes.