Justice T.S. Thakur was sworn in on Thursday, the December 3, 2015, as the 43rd Chief Justice of India. President Pranab Mukherjee administered the oath of office to him. Justice Thakur succeeded Chief Justice H.L. Dattu who demitted office on December 2, 2015.
Chief Justice Thakur will have a tenure of 13 months as he is slated to retire on January 3, 2017.
Born on 4th January, 1952, Justice Thakur was enrolled as a Pleader in October, 1972. Initially, he practised with his father Late Shri D.D. Thakur, a leading Advocate, who later became a Judge of the High Court of J & K. He practised in J&K High Court and was designated as a Senior Advocate in the year 1990.
Justice Thakur was appointed as an Additional Judge of the High Court of J&K on 16th February, 1994 and was transferred as Judge of the High Court of Karnataka in March, 1994. He was appointed as a permanent Judge in September, 1995. He was transferred as a Judge of the High Court of Delhi in July 2004. He became Acting Chief Justice of Delhi High Court on 09.04.2008 and took over as Chief Justice of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana on August 11, 2008. He was appointed as a Judge of Supreme Court and assumed charge on 17.11.2009. Now, with effect from December 3, 2015, Justice Thakur has been appointed as the Chief Justice of India.
Chief Justice Thakur is well-known as a mild-mannered judge and has a balanced approach. Unlike some other Judges in the Supreme Court, Justice Thakur is well-known to patiently hear all advocates (including juniors), giving them sufficient time to explain the matter. At the same time, he is always seen interacting with advocates and raising pertinent queries in a very soft tone. He is quite popular amongst advocates due to his pleasant personality and his down-to-earth behaviour.
