Chief Justice of India S A Bobde on Wednesday recommended Justice N V Ramana, the senior-most judge in the apex court after him, as his successor. CJI Bobde retires on April 23.

Justice Ramana, 64, was born in an agricultural family in Ponnavaram Village, in Andhra Pradesh’s Krishna district. He enrolled as an advocate on February 10, 1983.

Justice Ramana, B.Sc., B.L., has specialised in Constitutional, Criminal, Service and Inter-State River laws.

He previously served as a judge in the Andhra Pradesh High Court from June 27, 2000 to September 1, 2013, after which he was appointed Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court from September 2, 2013 to February 16, 2014. He was also acting Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court from March 10, 2013 to May 20, 2013.

Justice Ramana was appointed to the Supreme Court on February 17, 2014. He is due to retire on August 22, 2022.

In October last year, in an unprecedented move, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy wrote a letter to CJI Bobde, in which he alleged Justice Ramana “has been influencing the sittings of the (Andhra Pradesh) High Court including the roster of a few Honourable Judges”.

In the wake of the letter, Justice Ramana had said “it is an important quality for a judge to withstand all pressures and odds and to stand up bravely against all obstacles”, and that a “vibrant and independent judiciary… is required in the current times”.

“There are innumerable qualities that a person needs to live what can be called a good life: humility, patience, kindness, a strong work ethic and the enthusiasm to constantly learn and improve oneself… Most importantly, particularly for a judge, one must be steadfast in holding on to principles and be fearless in decisions. It is an important quality for a judge to withstand all pressures and odds and to stand up bravely against all obstacles,” he added.