| Rajendra Mal Lodha | |
| Order: | 41st |
| Office: | Chief Justice of India |
| Term Start: | 27 April 2014 |
| Term End: | 27 September 2014 |
| Office2: | Judge of the Supreme Court of India |
| Term Start2: | 17 December 2008 |
| Term End2: | 27 April 2014 |
| President: | Pranab Mukherjee |
| Predecessor: | P. Sathasivam |
| Successor: | H. L. Dattu |
| Office3: | Chief Justice of the Patna High Court |
| Term Start3: | 13 May 2008 |
| Term End3: | 16 December 2008 |
| Office4: | Judge of the Rajasthan High Court |
| Term Start4: | 2 February 2007 |
| Term End4: | 12 May 2008 |
| Office5: | Judge of the Bombay High Court |
| Term Start5: | 16 February 1994 |
| Term End5: | 1 February 2007 |
| Office6: | Judge of the Rajasthan High Court |
| Term Start6: | 31 January 1994 |
| Term End6: | 15 February 1994 |
| Birth Date: | 28 September 1949 |
| Birth Place: | Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India |
| Alma Mater: | University of Jodhpur |
R. M. Lodha (born 28 September 1949)[1] is a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India. Before being elevated to the Supreme Court, he served as the chief justice of Patna High Court.[2] He has also served as a judge in Rajasthan High Court and Bombay High Court. On 14 July 2015, the Supreme Court committee headed by RM Lodha suspended the owners of Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings from the Indian Premier League cricket tournament for a period of two years for alleged involvement in betting.[3]
Rajendra Mal Lodha was born in an Oswal Jain family to Justice S K Mal Lodha, a former Judge of Rajasthan High Court. He was born in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. He completed his BSc and LLB at the Jodhpur University.[4]
In February 1973, he enrolled with the Bar Council of Rajasthan at Jodhpur. He moved to Jaipur in 1977 on formation of Jaipur Bench of the Rajasthan High Court.[5] He was appointed Central Government standing counsel at the Rajasthan High Court in 1990. On 31 January 1994, Lodha was elevated as a permanent judge of Rajasthan High Court at Jodhpur. On 16 February 1994, he was transferred to Bombay High Court and served till 2007. He resumed office as a judge of Rajasthan High Court on 2 February 2007. On 13 May 2008, he was elevated as the Chief Justice of the Patna High Court.[6]
Lodha was appointed the Chief Justice of India succeeding P Sathasivam on 11 April and assumed charge on 27 April 2014.[7] Justice Lodha said that infusing greater transparency in the appointment of judges and initiating steps to bring down the backlog of 33,000,000 cases will be among his priorities.[8]
These include:[9]