Disposing bails, money laundering cases: A look at DY Chandrachud's tenure as Chief Justice

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud's tenure focused on personal liberty, constitutional cases, economic offences, and transparency, leading to significant case disposals and reforms in the Supreme Court.

In Short

• DY Chandrachud focused on personal liberty and bail cases
• Cleared backlog by listing old cases with regular ones
• Improved transparency, addressed 82,000 pending cases

Outgoing Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud's tenure from November 2022 to November 2024 has left a distinct imprint on the judiciary. His term saw a concentrated focus on issues of personal liberty, disposal of long-pending constitutional cases, and tackling economic offences, particularly under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

During his tenure, the Supreme Court witnessed the filing of as many as 1,11,498 new cases and the disposal of 1,07,403 cases, showcasing a remarkable emphasis on clearing the court's docket.

UPHOLDING PERSONAL LIBERTY

DY Chandrachud made matters of personal liberty a priority, particularly in bail cases. Under his leadership, the top court addressed 21,358 bail matters, almost matching the 21,000 bail cases filed during this period. This focus on expediting bail cases underscored his commitment to ensuring timely justice for those awaiting trial.

TACKLING ECONOMIC OFFENCES

Economic offences, particularly those involving money laundering, were also a major area of attention. The Supreme Court, during DY Chandrachud's tenure as Chief Justice, disposed of 907 cases related to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) out of the 961 cases filed.

STRATEGY FOR OLDER CASES

Addressing older, pending cases was another aspect of Chief Justice Chandrachud’s approach. He ensured that cases from as far back as 2019, already pending after receiving notice, were listed daily alongside regular cases.

REVITALISING CONSTITUTIONAL BENCH CASES

One of CJI Chandrachud’s standout achievements was in the area of constitutional adjudication. His tenure saw the setting up of multiple constitutional benches to address long-standing issues. In 2023 and 2024, he set up 17 and 20 constitutional benches respectively, resulting in the disposal of 33 critical constitutional cases that had awaited resolution for years.

FOCUS ON TRANSPARENCY AND PENDENCY

On his last working day, DY Chandrachud addressed the growing pendency in the Supreme Court, which had reached 82,000 cases. He clarified that the increase in pendency figures was partly due to a more transparent approach. During his tenure, unregistered or defective cases, which had previously been excluded from public records, were included in the official count.

He recounted finding approximately 1,500 untagged files stored away, and said, "When I took over as Chief Justice in November 2022, I found that around 1,500 files were stashed up in the cupboard of a Registrar. I said this has to change. Every case which enters the system has to be tagged with a number. We decided to put data of all pending cases in the public domain, whether registered or unregistered".

During his tenure as Chief Justice of India, Chandrachud personally authored 92 judgments, a high count compared to his predecessors with similar terms.

DY Chandrachud is set to retire on November 10, 2024. He will be succeeded by Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who will take the oath as the 51st Chief Justice of India on November 11, 2024.