Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud, the 50th and current Chief Justice of India serving since November 2022, sparked a debate on social media after a picture of his number plate went viral. The Mercedes bears a unique licence plate : DL1 CJI 0001.
The image was initially shared by angel investor Lloyd Mathias on X.
Lloyd Mathias shared his observation about seeing Dhananjay Chandrachud, at a private event in Delhi the previous day. While departing, Mathias observed the distinct number plate(DL1 CJI 0001) of the Chief Justice’s car, prompting his intrigue. “Saw Chief Justice of India, Dhananjay Chandrachud at a private function in Delhi yesterday. On my way out, I couldn’t help noticing his car’s licence plate number: DL1 CJI 0001. Very cool. Wonder if the Chief Election Commissioner’s car number plate is DL1 CEC 0001?” he wrote on X.
Initially, the remarkable number plate garnered admiration from social media users. Later, it was pointed out that the vehicle is assigned to the registrar of the Supreme Court of India and using it is one of the privileges DY Chandrachud enjoys as the CJI.
Recently, The CJI made headlines after he suggested that university education in law should be expanded to remote rural regions, ensuring that students from small towns have equal access to opportunities to become a lawyer.
Speaking at the inauguration event of the Dr Rajendra Prasad National Law University, Chandrachud highlighted the significance of technology to provide the ability to reach out to students located in distant areas. “Despite developments in legal education, the contemporary legal education system favours only English-speaking urban children”, he added.
He mentioned that a survey conducted on diversity in five law universities revealed that students from various backgrounds face challenges in gaining admission to these institutions because of their lack of proficiency in English. DY Chandrachud added that even opportunities such as moot courts, internships and competitions were conventionally curated considering children coming from elite families. “Law colleges and universities should design it keeping in mind children coming from diverse backgrounds,” he commented.