NEW DELHI:  Justice Dipak Misra, the second senior most judge of the Supreme Court, will be the next Chief Justice of India, succeeding Justice J S Khehar.   
The process of appointment of the next CJI has been set in motion with Justice J S Khehar sending his recommendation of Justice Misra’s name for the top judicial post of the country to the Union Law Ministry, sources in the Law Ministry said. 
Justice Khehar will retire on August 27. Justice Dipak Misra will take over from him, becoming the 45th Chief Justice of India.
Beginning his career as an advocate in 1977, he was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Orissa High Court in 1996 and was transferred to the Madhya Pradesh High Court next year.  He became permanent Judge of the High Court in December, 1997. Justice Misra was elevated as Chief Justice of the Patna High Court in 2009 and later became the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court in 2010. He was appointed Supreme Court judge on October 10, 2011.
Justice Misra will, under normal circumstances, retire as CJI on October 2, 2018.