Chief Justice of India begins....

THE CHIEF JUSTICE, Mr Patanjali Sastri was due to retire in the first week of January 1954. On the 27th of November 1953. Dr. Katju, Home Minister to the Government of India. wrote to me:

“I am indeed personally very happy to inform you that the President has approved your appointment as Chief Justice on retirement of Shri Patanjali Sastrr. I am sure that your appointment will cause great satisfaction and pleasure throughout India and will particularly be welcomed by the Indian Bar and judiciary. Your tenure of office will be short but I hope it will be memorable and you will leave your impress on the system of administration of justice in India.”

On the 4th day of December 1953 a warrant of my appointment as Chief Justice was issued by the President of India in these terms:

“By virtue of the powers vested in me by clause 12 of Article 124 of the Constitution of India, I, Rajendra Prasad, President of India, do hereby appoint Mr. Justice Mehr Chand Mahajan to be the Chief Justice of India with effect from the 4th January 1954.”

On the 6th of January. 1954, a notification was issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs that Mr. Justice Mehr Chand Mahajan assumed charge of the office of the Chief Justice of India on the forenoon of the 4th January 1954. The same day Shri T. L. Venkatarama Aiyar assumed charge of the office of the Judge of the Supreme Court in the vacancy caused by my appointment as Chief Justice.

It was a coincidence that the announcement on the radio about my appointment was made on the day when my daughter Karuna
was married to Shri Satish Chandra Mahajan of Amritsar. When the reception of the marriage party was taking place, the announcement came as Mr. Justice Aiyar was introduced to me by Justice Jagannadhadas.

To be continued...