DY Chandrachud is an Indian lawyer who was elected as a judge of the Supreme Court of India on 13 May 2016.
He has served as the 45th Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court (31 October 2013 – 12 May 2016) and as a judge of the Bombay High Court (29 March 2000 – 30 October 2013).
After the retirement of J Lalit, D.Y. Chandrachud will serve as the 50th Chief Justice of India from 9th November 2022. He was the 16th and longest-serving Chief Justice of India, Justice Y.V. Chandrachud’s son.
DY Chandrachud Biography/Wiki
| Real Name/Full Name/ Birth Name | Dhananjaya Yashwant Chandrachud |
| Profession | Judge Of Supreme Court Of India |
| Justice DY Chandrachud Tenure as The CJI | 2 years and 2 days until his retirement on November 10, 2024. |
| Personal Life | |
| Date Of Birth | 11 November 1959 (Wednesday) |
| Age (2022) | 63 Years |
| Birthplace | Bombay, Bombay State (Now Mumbai, Maharashtra) |
| Zodiac Sign/Sun Sign | Scorpio |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Home town | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| School | Cathedral and John Connon School, Mumbai St. Columba’s School, Delhi |
| College/University | St. Stephen’s College, New Delhi Delhi University, Delhi Harvard Law School, USA |
| Educational Qualification | BA (Hons), Bachelor of Law Degree, Master’s degree in law, Doctorate in Forensic Science |
| Religion | Deshastha Rigvedi Brahmin |
| Family member(s) | |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Wife | Kalpana Das |
| Marriage Date | 9 June 2012 |
| Children | Son- 2 Chintan Chandrachud (Advocate) Abhinav Chandrachud (Advocate) Daughter- None |
| Parents | Father- Justice Yashwant Vishnu Chandrachud (16th Chief Justice Of India) Mother- Prabha Chandrachud (Classical Musician) |
| Sibling | None |
Birth& Early Life
Justice DY Chandrachud was born on 11 November 1959 in the city of Mumbai, Maharashtra. He belongs to a Deshastha Rigvedi Brahmin family.
DY Chandrachud’s father, Justice Yashwant Vishnu Chandrachud, was the 16th Chief Justice of India, serving from 1978 to 1985.
YV Chandrachud is the longest-serving Chief Justice of India, serving for a term of 2696 days. His mother Prabha Chandrachud was a classical musician. He is an only child.
Justice DY Chandrachud Education
Justice DY Chandrachud did his schooling from Cathedral and John Connon School, Mumbai and St. Columbia School, Delhi.
He did his BA (Hons.) in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, New Delhi; He graduated from there in 1979.
In the year 1982, he obtained the degree of “Bachelor of Laws” from the University of Delhi. He obtained the degree of “Master of Laws” in 1983 and Doctorate in Juridical Sciences (SJD) from Harvard Law School, USA in 1986.
Justice DY Chandrachud Career
Law Practice
After his LLB in 1982, he worked as a trainee assisting various lawyers and judges, including preparing important notes for Advocate Fali Sam Nariman.
After graduating from Harvard, Chandrachud worked in the US at the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell LLP. Upon his return to India, he practiced law in the Supreme Court of India and the Bombay High Court.
He was selected as a Senior Advocate by the Bombay High Court in June 1998.
As a Senior Advocate, he has appeared in several important matters relating to Public Interest Litigation, Rights of Bonded Women Laborers, Rights of HIV positive workers in the workplace etc.
He was appointed by the Supreme Court to submit a report on the status of the Bombay Bench.
Additional Solicitor General
From 1998 to 2000, he served as the Additional Solicitor General until his appointment as a judge.
Judge of Bombay High Court
On 29 March 2000, he was promoted as a judge of the Bombay High Court; He served for 13 years as a judge of the Bombay High Court.
Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court
On 31 October 2013, he took oath as the 45th Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court and served there till 12 May 2016.
Judge of Supreme Court of India
On 13 May 2016, Justice DY Chandrachud was promoted as a judge of the Supreme Court of India. From 24 April 2021, he became part of the Collegium of the Supreme Court of India, which appoints judges to the country’s constitutional courts.
Some important decisions taken by Justice DY Chandrachud
Like his father, Justice DY Chandrachud joined the country’s Supreme Court in 2016 and has been instrumental in many cases, paving the way for several reforms. Chandrachud is also known as an advocate of women’s rights in the country.
Let’s take a look at the major decisions in which the 50th CJI was involved
Permanent commission to women in armed forces
In a landmark judgment, a bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud in the Supreme Court directed the Indian Armed Forces and the Government of India to grant permanent commission to women officers in the armed forces, including command postings.
Sabarimala Verdict
Similar to his nature of advocating for women’s rights, Justice DY Chandrachud was part of the majority opinion in favor of women’s entry into Kerala’s Sabarimala temple. He said that the ban on the entry of women in the temple is unconstitutional. Justice Chandrachud stood by the verdict even after a larger nine-judge bench decided to review the previous judgment.
Exemption of section 377 –
In September 2018, when the Supreme Court read out Section 377 to decriminalize homosexuality, Justice Chandrachud’s concurrence highlighted that it is up to a person to decide who to love and with whom. It is his right to spend his life and we cannot take it away, even if a person wants to live with a person of any gender, then we cannot impose our decisions on him to make his decision.
Abortion Rights
A bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud of the Supreme Court had recently held that marital status should not necessitate one’s right to an abortion. This decision was considered to be the final decision.
Love Jihad: Hadiya case
In this case of ‘love jihad’, a division bench of the apex court of Justice Chandrachud emphasized on the right of an adult woman to have autonomy and to decide on her choice of marriage and conversion to religion.
Right to Privacy Verdict
While writing the judgment for a conditional bench upholding the right to privacy as a fundamental right, Justice DY Chandrachud dismissed the Emergency-era habeas corpus case, which held that fundamental rights were not recognized as such. can be suspended when emergency is declared. The quashed judgment was passed by a bench comprising Justice YV Chandrachud.
Justice DY Chandrachud Personal Life
He is married to Kalpana Das. Together, they have two children, Chintan Chandrachud and Abhinav Chandrachud, both advocates.
Quotes by Justice DY Chandrachud
“If the Court were not to stand by the principles which we have, we may witness a soulful requiem to liberty.”
In the Case: Romila Thapar v. Union of India (2018)
“The law is not a respecter of social, economic or political status and every litigant who seeks access to justice has to be treated equally.”
In the Case: Romila Thapar v. Union of India (2018)
“Constitutional statesmanship between the two levels of governance, the Center and the Union Territory, ought to ensure that practical issues are resolved with a sense of political
maturity and administrative experience.”
In the Case: Govt. (NCT of Delhi) v. Union of India (2018)
“Dispersal of authority is a necessary safeguard to ensure against the perpetuation of power centres. Individuals who administer the game of cricket must realize that the game is perched far above their personal interests. Important as experience in administration is, it is far-fetched to assume —and far more difficult for the court to accept — that experience rests on the shoulders of a closed group of a few individuals. In fact, opportunities to a wide body of talent encourage a dispersal of experience and democratization of authority.”
In the Case: BCCI v. Cricket Assn. of Bihar (2018)
“History and contemporary events across the world are a reminder that blackouts of information are used as a willing ally to totalitarian excesses of power. They have no place in a democracy.”
In the Case: Kalpana Mehta v. Union of India (2018)