Justice Dipak Misra to be next Chief Justice of India

Justice Dipak Misra, who led the Supreme Court bench that confirmed death to four convicts in the Nirbhaya gang-rape case in May this year, will succeed Chief Justice JS Khehar as the next Chief Justice of India.

An official order by the law ministry said Justice Misra will take over from Chief Justice Khehar who retires on August 27. He will hold office for the next 13 months, till 2 October 2018.

63-year-old Justice Misra was also among the three judges who were up all night in July 2013, giving a historic hearing to decide on terrorist Yakub Memon's last-minute appeal against his hanging. Memon was convicted in 1993 Mumbai blasts, in which 257 people were killed. It was Justice Misra who announced the court's decision at 5 am: "Stay of death warrant would be a travesty of justice. The plea is dismissed," he said. Memon was hanged two hours later.

Chief Justice Khehar had last month recommended Justice Misra's elevation.

Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court before he was elevated as a Supreme Court judge in 2011, Justice Misra had been described as a "pro-citizen judge" by his peers. It was, for instance, Justice Misra who had ordered the police to upload a copy of the police complaints registered by the police, or First Information Report, on their website within 24 hours so that the accused and victim did not have to run around for a copy.

The 63-year-old CJI-designate is the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court after Justice Khehar. He will be the third person from Orissa to be appointed the Chief Justice of India, after Justices Ranganath Misra and G B Pattanaik.

Justice Misra will retire on October 2, 2018.