New Delhi: Justice S Rajendra Babu, the senior most judge of the Supreme Court, was sworn in as the Chief Justice of India (CJI) today (May 2, 2004).

President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam administered the oath of office to Justice Babu at a ceremony in the Darbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Law and Justice Minister Arun Jaitley, Communications Minister Arun Shourie, Speaker of the dissolved Lok Sabha Manohar Joshi, all the Judges of the Supreme Court and several other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

Justice Babu is the 34th Chief Justice of independent India.

He succeeds Justice V N Khare, who retired today after over 16 months in office.

The new CJI will hold the office only for 31 days as he is due to retire on June 1.

Enrolled as an advocate in 1965, he was appointed as a permanent judge of the Karnataka High Court in 1988.

Justice Babu has delivered several landmark judgements including the recent one on disinvestment of Government equity in HPCL and BPCL since his elevation to the Supreme Court in September 1997.

The judgement halted the process of disinvestment and the Government was asked to obtain prior approval of Parliament for disinvestment in the two oil PSUs as these were created by Parliamentary enactments.

He was a member of the apex Court Bench which in March last ruled that practice of Tandava Nritya (dance) in public with skull and tridents was not an essential part of Anand Marg faith.