Historic Decisions Taken By Outgoing CJI NV Ramana 

NEW DELHI:  August 26 marks the last day of service for Chief Justice of India N V Ramana who is retiring on Friday. The CJI Ramana shared the bench with CJI-designate Justice UU Lalit & Justice Hima Kohli.

On his final day as CJI N V Ramana delivered judgments in five cases — 1) the PIL seeking a ban on ‘election freebies’, 2) the 2007 Gorakhpur riots case, 3) the Karnataka mining case, 4) the Rajasthan mining lease issue and 5) the liquidation regulations under the bankruptcy law. In another milestone for the Supreme Court, the proceedings of the ceremonial bench in NV Ramana’s court were live streamed for the first time today  which was telecasted by implementing the 2018 verdict allowing such webcasts.

During his service, the CJO took some path-breaking judicial and administrative decisions and also the appointments of record 11 judges in theSupreme Court and over 220 judges in the High Courts. His efforts led to the increase of Telangana High Court bench strength from 24 to 42 judges. The CJI has been hailed for re-recommending the name of senior lawyer Saurabh Kirpal, a gay, for elevation as a judge to the Delhi High Court.

The CJI, in May, came up with a historic order and put the colonial era penal law on sedition on hold by directing the Centre and the states not to register any cases for the offence pending review of the provision. He had taken note of misuse of sedition law and had issued notices to the Centre and questioned the need for colonial-era penal provision which was used to persecute the freedom fighters.

The  CJI-led bench took up several important cases including the plea of Karti Chidambaram and decided to review in open court the controversial verdict which upheld the Enforcement Directorate's powers under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Issuing notice on review plea, Justice Ramana said two aspects-- not providing an Enforcement Case Information Report and reversal of the presumption of innocence -- "prima facie" required reconsideration.

 CJI NV Ramana also led a special bench and issued notices to the Gujarat government on a plea challenging release of 11 convicts in the 2002 case of Bilkis Bano's gangrape and murder of her family members.

 It also took note of the findings of the report of a committee, which probed the security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Punjab in January, holding that the Ferozepur SSP failed to discharge his duty though sufficient force was available. The CJI referred the report to the Centre for taking action.

On August 23, the CJI, in a verdict, held that Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Act, 2016 does not have retrospective application and authorities cannot initiate or continue prosecution or confiscation proceedings for transactions entered into prior to the coming into force of the legislation. The verdict also struck down section 3(2) and section 5 of the Act by terming them "vague and arbitrary".

Justice Ramana-led benches ordered probes into the allegations of use of Israeli spyware by agencies for targeted surveillance of politicians, journalists, and activists and in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence in which eight people including four farmers were killed in October last year.

He led the judicial intervention to halt the anti-encroachment demolition drive post communal riots in Jahangirpuri here has been hailed by many.
    
His suo-motu cognisance of delay in the release of prisoners from Agra prison based on newspaper reports led to the launch of a software platform 'FASTER' for instantaneous delivery of court orders to prisons across the country.

A Telugu man, Justice Ramana will be succeeded by Justice Uday Umesh Lalit as the CJI who will have a tenure of a little over two months. Justice Lalit's retirement in November will pave the way for Justice D Y Chandrachud to take over as head of the judiciary for a term of a little over two years. (PTI Inputs)

Also Read:  CJI NV Ramana Interesting Facts