Justice Sanjiv Khanna appointed next Chief Justice of India, to take oath on Nov 11

Justice Sanjiv Khanna will be the 51st Chief Justice of India (CJI), and has been a part of several landmark verdicts by the Supreme Court, including judgements related to electoral bonds, and the abrogation of Article 370. He will succeed outgoing CJI D Y Chandrachud, whose term comes to an end to November 10, 2024.

Justice Sanjiv Khanna, a senior judge of the Supreme Court, has been appointed next Chief Justice of India (CJI), and will take charge from his predecessor CJI D Y Chandrachud on November 11. Justice Khanna will be India’s 51st CJI and has been a part of several landmark verdicts by the Supreme Court, including judgements related to electoral bonds, and the abrogation of Article 370.

Who is Justice Sanjiv Khanna?

Born on May 14, 1960, an illustrious Delhi-based family, Justice Sanjiv Khanna is the nephew of late former Supreme Court judge H R Khanna, who was part of the landmark verdict propounding the basic structure doctrine in the 1973 Kesavananda Bharati case.

Justice Sanjiv Khanna studied law at the Campus Law Centre of Delhi University and in 2005, was elevated as an additional judge of the Delhi High Court.

A year later, Justice Khanna was made a permanent judge of Delhi’s top court and on January 18, 2019, was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court.

Justice Sanjiv Khanna key judgements

During his nearly six-year long stint in the Supreme Court, Justice Khanna has been a part of several landmark judgements in the apex court such as the verdict which upheld the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in elections, noting that the the devices were secure and eliminated booth capturing and bogus voting.

Justice Khanna was also part of the five-judge bench that struck down electoral bond scheme earlier this year, declaring it as unconstitutional.

Additionally, Justice Khanna was part of the five-judge apex court bench, which upheld the Centre’s 2019 abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution which granted a special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Justice Khanna had also granted bail to former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in the purported Delhi excise policy ‘scam’ case, ahead of Lok Sabha election 2024.

51st Chief Justice of India

Justice Sanjiv Khanna, whose name was recommended by CJI Chandrachud as his successor to the Centre on October 17, is the senior-most Supreme Court judge after the outgoing CJI and will take charge of India’s expansive judicial system on November 11, 2024.

Justice Khanna, who is also the executive chairman of the National Legal Service Authority (NALSA), will helm the Indian judicial system for a little over six months and retire on May 13, 2025 upon reaching age of 65 years– the retirement age of 65 years.

Justice Khanna will assume charges on November 11, a day after the retirement of CJI Chandrachud who served for two years at the helm of the Indian judiciary.

(With PTI inputs)