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List of chief justices of India

Updated: Wikipedia source

List of chief justices of India

The chief justice of India is the highest-ranking officer of the Indian judiciary and the chief judge of the Supreme Court of India. As head of the Supreme Court, the chief justice is responsible for the allocation of cases and appointment of constitutional benches which deal with important matters of law. In accordance with Article 145 of the Constitution of India and the Supreme Court Rules of Procedure of 1966, the chief justice allocates all work to the other judges. A new chief justice is appointed by the president of India with recommendations by the outgoing chief justice in consultation with other judges. The chief justice serves in the role until they reach the age of sixty-five or are removed by the constitutional process of impeachment. As per convention, the name suggested by the incumbent chief justice is almost always the next senior-most judge in the Supreme Court. This convention has been broken twice: in 1973, Justice A. N. Ray was appointed superseding three senior judges and in 1977, Justice Mirza Hameedullah Beg was appointed as the chief justice superseding Justice Hans Raj Khanna. A total of 53 chief justices have served in the office since the Supreme Court of India superseded the Federal Court of India in 1950. Yeshwant Vishnu Chandrachud, the 16th chief justice, is the longest-serving chief justice, serving over seven years (February 1978 – July 1985), while Kamal Narain Singh, the 22nd chief justice, is the shortest-serving, for 17 days in 1991. As of 2025, there has been no woman who has served as chief justice of India. The current and 53rd chief justice is Surya Kant who entered office on 24 November 2025. He will have a term of 15 months which is due to end on 9 February 2027.

Tables

Chief Justices of the Federal Court of India · List › Chief Justices of the Federal Court of India
Sir Maurice Linford Gwyer (1878–1952)
1937
1937–1943
Sir Maurice Linford Gwyer (1878–1952)
No.
1
Name (birth–death)
Sir Maurice Linford Gwyer (1878–1952)
Start of Term
1 October 1937
End of Term
25 April 1943
Length of term
5 years, 206 days
Parent Bar / High Court
Inner Temple
Appointed by (Governor-General of India)
Victor Hope
Sir Srinivas Varadachariar‡ (1881–1970)
1943
1943–1943
Sir Srinivas Varadachariar‡ (1881–1970)
No.
—
Name (birth–death)
Sir Srinivas Varadachariar‡ (1881–1970)
Start of Term
25 April 1943
End of Term
7 June 1943
Length of term
43 days
Parent Bar / High Court
Madras
Sir William Patrick Spens (1885–1973)
1943
1943–1947
Sir William Patrick Spens (1885–1973)
No.
2
Name (birth–death)
Sir William Patrick Spens (1885–1973)
Start of Term
7 June 1943
End of Term
13 August 1947
Length of term
4 years, 68 days
Parent Bar / High Court
Inner Temple
Harilal Jekisundas Kania (1890–1951)
1947
1947–1950
Harilal Jekisundas Kania (1890–1951)
No.
3
Name (birth–death)
Harilal Jekisundas Kania (1890–1951)
Start of Term
14 August 1947
End of Term
26 January 1950
Length of term
2 years, 165 days
Parent Bar / High Court
Bombay
Appointed by (Governor-General of India)
Louis Mountbatten
No.
Name (birth–death)
Image
Start of Term
End of Term
Length of term
Parent Bar / High Court
Appointed by (Governor-General of India)
Ref.
1
Sir Maurice Linford Gwyer (1878–1952)
1 October 1937
25 April 1943
5 years, 206 days
Inner Temple
Victor Hope
—
Sir Srinivas Varadachariar‡ (1881–1970)
—
25 April 1943
7 June 1943
43 days
Madras
2
Sir William Patrick Spens (1885–1973)
7 June 1943
13 August 1947
4 years, 68 days
Inner Temple
3
Harilal Jekisundas Kania (1890–1951)
14 August 1947
26 January 1950
2 years, 165 days
Bombay
Louis Mountbatten
Key · List › Chief Justices
‡
‡
†
‡
Died in office
Resigned
†
Died in office
‡
Resigned
· List › Chief Justices
Harilal Jekisundas Kania (1890–1951)
1950
1950–1951
Harilal Jekisundas Kania (1890–1951)
No.
1
Name (birth–death)
Harilal Jekisundas Kania (1890–1951)
Start of Term
26 January 1950
End of Term
6 November 1951†
Length of Term
1 year, 284 days
Parent High Court
Bombay
Appointed by (President of India)
Rajendra Prasad
Mandakolathur Patanjali Sastri (1889–1963)
1951
1951–1954
Mandakolathur Patanjali Sastri (1889–1963)
No.
2
Name (birth–death)
Mandakolathur Patanjali Sastri (1889–1963)
Start of Term
7 November 1951
End of Term
3 January 1954
Length of Term
2 years, 57 days
Parent High Court
Madras
Mehr Chand Mahajan (1889–1967)
1954
1954–1954
Mehr Chand Mahajan (1889–1967)
No.
3
Name (birth–death)
Mehr Chand Mahajan (1889–1967)
Start of Term
4 January 1954
End of Term
22 December 1954
Length of Term
352 days
Parent High Court
Lahore
Bijan Kumar Mukherjea (1891–1956)
1954
1954–1956
Bijan Kumar Mukherjea (1891–1956)
No.
4
Name (birth–death)
Bijan Kumar Mukherjea (1891–1956)
Start of Term
23 December 1954
End of Term
31 January 1956‡
Length of Term
1 year, 39 days
Parent High Court
Calcutta
Sudhi Ranjan Das (1894–1977)
1956
1956–1959
Sudhi Ranjan Das (1894–1977)
No.
5
Name (birth–death)
Sudhi Ranjan Das (1894–1977)
Start of Term
1 February 1956
End of Term
30 September 1959
Length of Term
3 years, 241 days
Parent High Court
Calcutta
Bhuvaneshwar Prasad Sinha (1899–1986)
1959
1959–1964
Bhuvaneshwar Prasad Sinha (1899–1986)
No.
6
Name (birth–death)
Bhuvaneshwar Prasad Sinha (1899–1986)
Start of Term
1 October 1959
End of Term
31 January 1964
Length of Term
4 years, 122 days
Parent High Court
Patna
Pralhad Balacharya Gajendragadkar (1901–1981)
1964
1964–1966
Pralhad Balacharya Gajendragadkar (1901–1981)
No.
7
Name (birth–death)
Pralhad Balacharya Gajendragadkar (1901–1981)
Start of Term
1 February 1964
End of Term
15 March 1966
Length of Term
2 years, 42 days
Parent High Court
Bombay
Appointed by (President of India)
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Amal Kumar Sarkar (1901–2001)
1966
1966–1966
Amal Kumar Sarkar (1901–2001)
No.
8
Name (birth–death)
Amal Kumar Sarkar (1901–2001)
Start of Term
16 March 1966
End of Term
29 June 1966
Length of Term
105 days
Parent High Court
Calcutta
Koka Subba Rao (1902–1976)
1966
1966–1967
Koka Subba Rao (1902–1976)
No.
9
Name (birth–death)
Koka Subba Rao (1902–1976)
Start of Term
30 June 1966
End of Term
11 April 1967‡
Length of Term
285 days
Parent High Court
Madras
Kailas Nath Wanchoo (1903–1988)
1967
1967–1968
Kailas Nath Wanchoo (1903–1988)
No.
10
Name (birth–death)
Kailas Nath Wanchoo (1903–1988)
Start of Term
12 April 1967
End of Term
24 February 1968
Length of Term
318 days
Parent High Court
Allahabad
Mohammad Hidayatullah (1905–1992)
1968
1968–1970
Mohammad Hidayatullah (1905–1992)
No.
11
Name (birth–death)
Mohammad Hidayatullah (1905–1992)
Start of Term
25 February 1968
End of Term
16 December 1970
Length of Term
2 years, 294 days
Parent High Court
Nagpur
Appointed by (President of India)
Zakir Hussain
Jayantilal Chhotalal Shah (1906–1991)
1970
1970–1971
Jayantilal Chhotalal Shah (1906–1991)
No.
12
Name (birth–death)
Jayantilal Chhotalal Shah (1906–1991)
Start of Term
17 December 1970
End of Term
21 January 1971
Length of Term
35 days
Parent High Court
Bombay
Appointed by (President of India)
V. V. Giri
Sarv Mittra Sikri (1908–1992)
1971
1971–1973
Sarv Mittra Sikri (1908–1992)
No.
13
Name (birth–death)
Sarv Mittra Sikri (1908–1992)
Start of Term
22 January 1971
End of Term
25 April 1973
Length of Term
2 years, 93 days
Parent High Court
Bar Council
Ajit Nath Ray (1912–2009)
1973
1973–1977
Ajit Nath Ray (1912–2009)
No.
14
Name (birth–death)
Ajit Nath Ray (1912–2009)
Start of Term
26 April 1973
End of Term
28 January 1977
Length of Term
3 years, 276 days
Parent High Court
Calcutta
Mirza Hameedullah Beg (1913–1988)
1977
1977–1978
Mirza Hameedullah Beg (1913–1988)
No.
15
Name (birth–death)
Mirza Hameedullah Beg (1913–1988)
Start of Term
29 January 1977
End of Term
21 February 1978
Length of Term
1 year, 24 days
Parent High Court
Allahabad
Appointed by (President of India)
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
Yeshwant Vishnu Chandrachud (1920–2008)
1978
1978–1985
Yeshwant Vishnu Chandrachud (1920–2008)
No.
16
Name (birth–death)
Yeshwant Vishnu Chandrachud (1920–2008)
Start of Term
22 February 1978
End of Term
11 July 1985
Length of Term
7 years, 139 days
Parent High Court
Bombay
Appointed by (President of India)
Neelam Sanjiva Reddy
Prafullachandra Natwarlal Bhagwati (1921–2017)
1985
1985–1986
Prafullachandra Natwarlal Bhagwati (1921–2017)
No.
17
Name (birth–death)
Prafullachandra Natwarlal Bhagwati (1921–2017)
Start of Term
12 July 1985
End of Term
20 December 1986
Length of Term
1 year, 161 days
Parent High Court
Gujarat
Appointed by (President of India)
Zail Singh
Raghunandan Swarup Pathak (1924–2007)
1986
1986–1989
Raghunandan Swarup Pathak (1924–2007)
No.
18
Name (birth–death)
Raghunandan Swarup Pathak (1924–2007)
Start of Term
21 December 1986
End of Term
18 June 1989‡
Length of Term
2 years, 209 days
Parent High Court
Allahabad
Engalaguppe Seetharamiah Venkataramiah (1924–1997)
1989
1989–1989
Engalaguppe Seetharamiah Venkataramiah (1924–1997)
No.
19
Name (birth–death)
Engalaguppe Seetharamiah Venkataramiah (1924–1997)
Start of Term
19 June 1989
End of Term
17 December 1989
Length of Term
181 days
Parent High Court
Karnataka
Appointed by (President of India)
Ramaswamy Venkataraman
Sabyasachi Mukharji (1927–1990)
1989
1989–1990
Sabyasachi Mukharji (1927–1990)
No.
20
Name (birth–death)
Sabyasachi Mukharji (1927–1990)
Start of Term
18 December 1989
End of Term
25 September 1990†
Length of Term
281 days
Parent High Court
Calcutta
Ranganath Misra (1926–2012)
1990
1990–1991
Ranganath Misra (1926–2012)
No.
21
Name (birth–death)
Ranganath Misra (1926–2012)
Start of Term
26 September 1990
End of Term
24 November 1991
Length of Term
1 year, 59 days
Parent High Court
Orissa
Kamal Narain Singh (1926–2022)
1991
1991–1991
Kamal Narain Singh (1926–2022)
No.
22
Name (birth–death)
Kamal Narain Singh (1926–2022)
Start of Term
25 November 1991
End of Term
12 December 1991
Length of Term
17 days
Parent High Court
Allahabad
Madhukar Hiralal Kania (1927–2016)
1991
1991–1992
Madhukar Hiralal Kania (1927–2016)
No.
23
Name (birth–death)
Madhukar Hiralal Kania (1927–2016)
Start of Term
13 December 1991
End of Term
17 November 1992
Length of Term
340 days
Parent High Court
Bombay
Lalit Mohan Sharma (1928–2008)
1992
1992–1993
Lalit Mohan Sharma (1928–2008)
No.
24
Name (birth–death)
Lalit Mohan Sharma (1928–2008)
Start of Term
18 November 1992
End of Term
11 February 1993
Length of Term
85 days
Parent High Court
Patna
Appointed by (President of India)
Shankar Dayal Sharma
Manepalli Narayanarao Venkatachaliah (born 1929)
1993
1993–1994
Manepalli Narayanarao Venkatachaliah (born 1929)
No.
25
Name (birth–death)
Manepalli Narayanarao Venkatachaliah (born 1929)
Start of Term
12 February 1993
End of Term
24 October 1994
Length of Term
1 year, 254 days
Parent High Court
Karnataka
Aziz Mushabber Ahmadi (1932–2023)
1994
1994–1997
Aziz Mushabber Ahmadi (1932–2023)
No.
26
Name (birth–death)
Aziz Mushabber Ahmadi (1932–2023)
Start of Term
25 October 1994
End of Term
24 March 1997
Length of Term
2 years, 150 days
Parent High Court
Gujarat
Jagdish Sharan Verma (1933–2013)
1997
1997–1998
Jagdish Sharan Verma (1933–2013)
No.
27
Name (birth–death)
Jagdish Sharan Verma (1933–2013)
Start of Term
25 March 1997
End of Term
17 January 1998
Length of Term
298 days
Parent High Court
Madhya Pradesh
Madan Mohan Punchhi (1933–2015)
1998
1998–1998
Madan Mohan Punchhi (1933–2015)
No.
28
Name (birth–death)
Madan Mohan Punchhi (1933–2015)
Start of Term
18 January 1998
End of Term
9 October 1998
Length of Term
264 days
Parent High Court
Punjab and Haryana
Appointed by (President of India)
K. R. Narayanan
Adarsh Sein Anand (1936–2017)
1998
1998–2001
Adarsh Sein Anand (1936–2017)
No.
29
Name (birth–death)
Adarsh Sein Anand (1936–2017)
Start of Term
10 October 1998
End of Term
31 October 2001
Length of Term
3 years, 21 days
Parent High Court
Jammu and Kashmir
Sam Piroj Bharucha (born 1937)
2001
2001–2002
Sam Piroj Bharucha (born 1937)
No.
30
Name (birth–death)
Sam Piroj Bharucha (born 1937)
Start of Term
1 November 2001
End of Term
5 May 2002
Length of Term
185 days
Parent High Court
Bombay
Bhupinder Nath Kirpal (born 1937)
2002
2002–2002
Bhupinder Nath Kirpal (born 1937)
No.
31
Name (birth–death)
Bhupinder Nath Kirpal (born 1937)
Start of Term
6 May 2002
End of Term
7 November 2002
Length of Term
185 days
Parent High Court
Delhi
Gopal Ballav Pattanaik (born 1937)
2002
2002–2002
Gopal Ballav Pattanaik (born 1937)
No.
32
Name (birth–death)
Gopal Ballav Pattanaik (born 1937)
Start of Term
8 November 2002
End of Term
18 December 2002
Length of Term
40 days
Parent High Court
Orissa
Appointed by (President of India)
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
Vishweshwar Nath Khare (born 1939)
2002
2002–2004
Vishweshwar Nath Khare (born 1939)
No.
33
Name (birth–death)
Vishweshwar Nath Khare (born 1939)
Start of Term
19 December 2002
End of Term
1 May 2004
Length of Term
1 year, 134 days
Parent High Court
Allahabad
Sanjeevalu Rajendra Babu (born 1939)
2004
2004–2004
Sanjeevalu Rajendra Babu (born 1939)
No.
34
Name (birth–death)
Sanjeevalu Rajendra Babu (born 1939)
Start of Term
2 May 2004
End of Term
31 May 2004
Length of Term
29 days
Parent High Court
Karnataka
Ramesh Chandra Lahoti (1940–2022)
2004
2004–2005
Ramesh Chandra Lahoti (1940–2022)
No.
35
Name (birth–death)
Ramesh Chandra Lahoti (1940–2022)
Start of Term
1 June 2004
End of Term
31 October 2005
Length of Term
1 year, 152 days
Parent High Court
Madhya Pradesh
Yogesh Kumar Sabharwal (1942–2015)
2005
2005–2007
Yogesh Kumar Sabharwal (1942–2015)
No.
36
Name (birth–death)
Yogesh Kumar Sabharwal (1942–2015)
Start of Term
1 November 2005
End of Term
13 January 2007
Length of Term
1 year, 73 days
Parent High Court
Delhi
Konakuppakatil Gopinathan Balakrishnan (born 1945)
2007
2007–2010
Konakuppakatil Gopinathan Balakrishnan (born 1945)
No.
37
Name (birth–death)
Konakuppakatil Gopinathan Balakrishnan (born 1945)
Start of Term
14 January 2007
End of Term
11 May 2010
Length of Term
3 years, 117 days
Parent High Court
Kerala
Sarosh Homi Kapadia (1947–2016)
2010
2010–2012
Sarosh Homi Kapadia (1947–2016)
No.
38
Name (birth–death)
Sarosh Homi Kapadia (1947–2016)
Start of Term
12 May 2010
End of Term
28 September 2012
Length of Term
2 years, 139 days
Parent High Court
Bombay
Appointed by (President of India)
Pratibha Patil
Altamas Kabir (1948–2017)
2012
2012–2013
Altamas Kabir (1948–2017)
No.
39
Name (birth–death)
Altamas Kabir (1948–2017)
Start of Term
29 September 2012
End of Term
18 July 2013
Length of Term
292 days
Parent High Court
Calcutta
Appointed by (President of India)
Pranab Mukherjee
Palanisamy Sathasivam (born 1949)
2013
2013–2014
Palanisamy Sathasivam (born 1949)
No.
40
Name (birth–death)
Palanisamy Sathasivam (born 1949)
Start of Term
19 July 2013
End of Term
26 April 2014
Length of Term
281 days
Parent High Court
Madras
Rajendra Mal Lodha (born 1949)
2014
2014–2014
Rajendra Mal Lodha (born 1949)
No.
41
Name (birth–death)
Rajendra Mal Lodha (born 1949)
Start of Term
27 April 2014
End of Term
27 September 2014
Length of Term
153 days
Parent High Court
Rajasthan
Handyala Lakshminarayanaswamy Dattu (born 1950)
2014
2014–2015
Handyala Lakshminarayanaswamy Dattu (born 1950)
No.
42
Name (birth–death)
Handyala Lakshminarayanaswamy Dattu (born 1950)
Start of Term
28 September 2014
End of Term
2 December 2015
Length of Term
1 year, 65 days
Parent High Court
Karnataka
Tirath Singh Thakur (born 1952)
2015
2015–2017
Tirath Singh Thakur (born 1952)
No.
43
Name (birth–death)
Tirath Singh Thakur (born 1952)
Start of Term
3 December 2015
End of Term
3 January 2017
Length of Term
1 year, 31 days
Parent High Court
Jammu and Kashmir
Jagdish Singh Khehar (born 1952)
2017
2017–2017
Jagdish Singh Khehar (born 1952)
No.
44
Name (birth–death)
Jagdish Singh Khehar (born 1952)
Start of Term
4 January 2017
End of Term
27 August 2017
Length of Term
235 days
Parent High Court
Punjab and Haryana
Dipak Misra (born 1953)
2017
2017–2018
Dipak Misra (born 1953)
No.
45
Name (birth–death)
Dipak Misra (born 1953)
Start of Term
28 August 2017
End of Term
2 October 2018
Length of Term
1 year, 35 days
Parent High Court
Orissa
Appointed by (President of India)
Ram Nath Kovind
Ranjan Gogoi (born 1954)
2018
2018–2019
Ranjan Gogoi (born 1954)
No.
46
Name (birth–death)
Ranjan Gogoi (born 1954)
Start of Term
3 October 2018
End of Term
17 November 2019
Length of Term
1 year, 45 days
Parent High Court
Gauhati
Sharad Arvind Bobde (born 1956)
2019
2019–2021
Sharad Arvind Bobde (born 1956)
No.
47
Name (birth–death)
Sharad Arvind Bobde (born 1956)
Start of Term
18 November 2019
End of Term
23 April 2021
Length of Term
1 year, 156 days
Parent High Court
Bombay
Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana (born 1957)
2021
2021–2022
Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana (born 1957)
No.
48
Name (birth–death)
Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana (born 1957)
Start of Term
24 April 2021
End of Term
26 August 2022
Length of Term
1 year, 124 days
Parent High Court
Andhra Pradesh
Uday Umesh Lalit (born 1957)
2022
2022–2022
Uday Umesh Lalit (born 1957)
No.
49
Name (birth–death)
Uday Umesh Lalit (born 1957)
Start of Term
27 August 2022
End of Term
8 November 2022
Length of Term
73 days
Parent High Court
Bar Council
Appointed by (President of India)
Droupadi Murmu
Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud (born 1959)
2022
2022–2024
Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud (born 1959)
No.
50
Name (birth–death)
Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud (born 1959)
Start of Term
9 November 2022
End of Term
10 November 2024
Length of Term
2 years, 1 day
Parent High Court
Bombay
Sanjiv Khanna (born 1960)
2024
2024–2025
Sanjiv Khanna (born 1960)
No.
51
Name (birth–death)
Sanjiv Khanna (born 1960)
Start of Term
11 November 2024
End of Term
13 May 2025
Length of Term
183 days
Parent High Court
Delhi
Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai (born 1960)
2025
2025–2025
Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai (born 1960)
No.
52
Name (birth–death)
Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai (born 1960)
Start of Term
14 May 2025
End of Term
23 November 2025
Length of Term
193 days
Parent High Court
Bombay
Surya Kant (born 1962)
Surya Kant (born 1962)
No.
53
Name (birth–death)
Surya Kant (born 1962)
Start of Term
24 November 2025
End of Term
Incumbent
Length of Term
177 days
Parent High Court
Punjab and Haryana
No.
Image
Name (birth–death)
Start of Term
End of Term
Length of Term
Parent High Court
Appointed by (President of India)
Ref.
1
Harilal Jekisundas Kania (1890–1951)
26 January 1950
6 November 1951†
1 year, 284 days
Bombay
Rajendra Prasad
2
Mandakolathur Patanjali Sastri (1889–1963)
7 November 1951
3 January 1954
2 years, 57 days
Madras
3
Mehr Chand Mahajan (1889–1967)
4 January 1954
22 December 1954
352 days
Lahore
4
Bijan Kumar Mukherjea (1891–1956)
23 December 1954
31 January 1956‡
1 year, 39 days
Calcutta
5
Sudhi Ranjan Das (1894–1977)
1 February 1956
30 September 1959
3 years, 241 days
Calcutta
6
Bhuvaneshwar Prasad Sinha (1899–1986)
1 October 1959
31 January 1964
4 years, 122 days
Patna
7
Pralhad Balacharya Gajendragadkar (1901–1981)
1 February 1964
15 March 1966
2 years, 42 days
Bombay
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
8
Amal Kumar Sarkar (1901–2001)
16 March 1966
29 June 1966
105 days
Calcutta
9
Koka Subba Rao (1902–1976)
30 June 1966
11 April 1967‡
285 days
Madras
10
Kailas Nath Wanchoo (1903–1988)
12 April 1967
24 February 1968
318 days
Allahabad
11
Mohammad Hidayatullah (1905–1992)
25 February 1968
16 December 1970
2 years, 294 days
Nagpur
Zakir Hussain
12
Jayantilal Chhotalal Shah (1906–1991)
17 December 1970
21 January 1971
35 days
Bombay
V. V. Giri
13
Sarv Mittra Sikri (1908–1992)
22 January 1971
25 April 1973
2 years, 93 days
Bar Council
14
Ajit Nath Ray (1912–2009)
26 April 1973
28 January 1977
3 years, 276 days
Calcutta
15
Mirza Hameedullah Beg (1913–1988)
29 January 1977
21 February 1978
1 year, 24 days
Allahabad
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
16
Yeshwant Vishnu Chandrachud (1920–2008)
22 February 1978
11 July 1985
7 years, 139 days
Bombay
Neelam Sanjiva Reddy
17
Prafullachandra Natwarlal Bhagwati (1921–2017)
12 July 1985
20 December 1986
1 year, 161 days
Gujarat
Zail Singh
18
Raghunandan Swarup Pathak (1924–2007)
21 December 1986
18 June 1989‡
2 years, 209 days
Allahabad
19
Engalaguppe Seetharamiah Venkataramiah (1924–1997)
19 June 1989
17 December 1989
181 days
Karnataka
Ramaswamy Venkataraman
20
Sabyasachi Mukharji (1927–1990)
18 December 1989
25 September 1990†
281 days
Calcutta
21
Ranganath Misra (1926–2012)
26 September 1990
24 November 1991
1 year, 59 days
Orissa
22
Kamal Narain Singh (1926–2022)
25 November 1991
12 December 1991
17 days
Allahabad
23
Madhukar Hiralal Kania (1927–2016)
13 December 1991
17 November 1992
340 days
Bombay
24
Lalit Mohan Sharma (1928–2008)
18 November 1992
11 February 1993
85 days
Patna
Shankar Dayal Sharma
25
Manepalli Narayanarao Venkatachaliah (born 1929)
12 February 1993
24 October 1994
1 year, 254 days
Karnataka
26
Aziz Mushabber Ahmadi (1932–2023)
25 October 1994
24 March 1997
2 years, 150 days
Gujarat
27
Jagdish Sharan Verma (1933–2013)
25 March 1997
17 January 1998
298 days
Madhya Pradesh
28
Madan Mohan Punchhi (1933–2015)
18 January 1998
9 October 1998
264 days
Punjab and Haryana
K. R. Narayanan
29
Adarsh Sein Anand (1936–2017)
10 October 1998
31 October 2001
3 years, 21 days
Jammu and Kashmir
30
Sam Piroj Bharucha (born 1937)
1 November 2001
5 May 2002
185 days
Bombay
31
Bhupinder Nath Kirpal (born 1937)
6 May 2002
7 November 2002
185 days
Delhi
32
Gopal Ballav Pattanaik (born 1937)
8 November 2002
18 December 2002
40 days
Orissa
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
33
Vishweshwar Nath Khare (born 1939)
19 December 2002
1 May 2004
1 year, 134 days
Allahabad
34
Sanjeevalu Rajendra Babu (born 1939)
2 May 2004
31 May 2004
29 days
Karnataka
35
Ramesh Chandra Lahoti (1940–2022)
1 June 2004
31 October 2005
1 year, 152 days
Madhya Pradesh
36
Yogesh Kumar Sabharwal (1942–2015)
1 November 2005
13 January 2007
1 year, 73 days
Delhi
37
Konakuppakatil Gopinathan Balakrishnan (born 1945)
14 January 2007
11 May 2010
3 years, 117 days
Kerala
38
Sarosh Homi Kapadia (1947–2016)
12 May 2010
28 September 2012
2 years, 139 days
Bombay
Pratibha Patil
39
Altamas Kabir (1948–2017)
29 September 2012
18 July 2013
292 days
Calcutta
Pranab Mukherjee
40
Palanisamy Sathasivam (born 1949)
19 July 2013
26 April 2014
281 days
Madras
41
Rajendra Mal Lodha (born 1949)
27 April 2014
27 September 2014
153 days
Rajasthan
42
Handyala Lakshminarayanaswamy Dattu (born 1950)
28 September 2014
2 December 2015
1 year, 65 days
Karnataka
43
Tirath Singh Thakur (born 1952)
3 December 2015
3 January 2017
1 year, 31 days
Jammu and Kashmir
44
Jagdish Singh Khehar (born 1952)
4 January 2017
27 August 2017
235 days
Punjab and Haryana
45
Dipak Misra (born 1953)
28 August 2017
2 October 2018
1 year, 35 days
Orissa
Ram Nath Kovind
46
Ranjan Gogoi (born 1954)
3 October 2018
17 November 2019
1 year, 45 days
Gauhati
47
Sharad Arvind Bobde (born 1956)
18 November 2019
23 April 2021
1 year, 156 days
Bombay
48
Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana (born 1957)
24 April 2021
26 August 2022
1 year, 124 days
Andhra Pradesh
49
Uday Umesh Lalit (born 1957)
27 August 2022
8 November 2022
73 days
Bar Council
Droupadi Murmu
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