Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar becomes the first Sikh Chief Justice of India. Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar took over as the 44th Chief Justice of India on January 4, 2017. He succeeds Justice Tirath Singh Thakur whose 13-month tenure ended on 3 January 2017. He is likely to stay in office for seven months until he retires in August, 2017.