The government has written to Chief Justice of India Uday Umesh Lalit to name his successor, sources said on Friday.

The letter was sent this morning, they said.

As part of the procedure, the law minister writes to the CJI to name his or her successor, reports PTI.

Justice Lalit retires as the CJI on November 8.

Justice D Y Chandrachud is the senior-most judge after the CJI.

As per practice, the CJI names the senior-most judge as his or her successor.

Going by the established practice and convention, Justice Chandrachud would be the 50th CJI.

New judge for SC

The government is also set to take a call on the elevation of Bombay High Court Chief Justice Dipankar Datta to the Supreme Court court shortly.

If he is appointed to the apex court, its working strength will go up to 30. The sanctioned strength of the top court is 34, including the Chief Justice of India (CJI).

High court judges

A total of 153 judges have been appointed to the various high courts in this calendar year so far, with sources hinting at more appointments to the higher judiciary in the coming days.

Six additional judges were appointed to the Bombay High Court on Thursday.