Prez Kovind nominates Justice Lalit as new Executive Chair of NALSA

Prez Kovind nominates Justice Lalit as new Executive Chair of NALSA

Justice U.U. Lalit, a part of the Supreme Court collegium, is in line to become the next Chief Justice of India

President Ram Nath Kovind has nominated Supreme Court judge Justice Uday Umesh Lalit as the next executive chairperson of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) with immediate effect.

Notification to that effect was issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice in The Gazette of India on 14 May 2021.

The post was previously occupied by the incumbent Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana who took over as the CJI on 24 April 2021 upon the retirement of Justice S.A. Bobde.

Justice Lalit is the son of Retd. Justice U.R. Lalit, a former additional judge of the Bombay High Court, Nagpur bench, and a senior counsel practicing in Delhi.

Justice Lalit joined the bar in 1983 and practiced as an advocate in the Bombay High Court from 1983 to 1985. In 1986, he joined the chambers of former Attorney General for India, Soli Sorabjee from 1986 to 1992. In 2004, he was designated Senior Advocate and also served as a member of the Supreme Court's Legal Services Committee for two terms.

The Supreme Court bench of Justices G.S. Singhvi and A.K. Ganguly appointed him as CBI's Special Public Prosecutor in all 2G matters in 2011. He was appointed judge of the Supreme Court in 2014.

The nomination of Justice Lalit, currently a part of the Supreme Court collegium, as the new Executive Chair of NALSA is an indication that he is in line to become the 49th Chief Justice of India. The NALSA Chairperson's post is normally held by the next CJI. Although Justice Lalit is the second senior-most judge of the Apex Court behind Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman, Justice Nariman is slated to retire 13 days before the scheduled retirement of CJI Ramana on 26 August 2022.

Justice Lalit himself will have a short stint as the CJI since he too would retire on 8 November 2022, giving him barely 76 in the office.

According to rules, the Supreme Court judges retire upon completion of 65 years of age.