Chief Justice Prakash Man Singh Raut is retiring on Tuesday.

Raut is taking a mandatory retirement after attaining the constitutional age limit of 65. He assumed leadership of the Supreme Court on October 6, 2024, and has been on leave for the past month.

The process of appointing a new chief justice has yet to begin, raising concerns about judicial continuity. While the Judicial Council has recommended six incumbent justices as candidates for chief of the judiciary, the structure of the constitutional council itself remains incomplete.

Raut has been praised for initiating notable changes in the judiciary.

He took charge amid tensions between the Bar and the Bench, which eased during his tenure. Progress was also seen in judicial appointments and the settlement of long-pending cases.

The Supreme Court has announced that the number of cases older than eight years has dropped to zero.

A long-standing dispute over the appointment of 52 office-bearers to constitutional commissions was also resolved during his tenure.

However, his tenure also faced setbacks. While efforts were made towards judicial reform, structural issues remained unaddressed. Key concerns, such as reform of the Judicial Council and transparent appointments, continued to be sidelined.

His efforts to reduce the number of cases that could not be heard or were not eligible for hearing before the particular bench were also not effective.