Justice Sanjiv Khanna takes oath as 51st Chief Justice of India

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, November 11, 2024: Justice Sanjiv Khanna, whose name was proposed by Justice DY Chandrachud as his successor, was sworn in as the 51st Chief Justice of India on Monday.

The oath of office was administered by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The event was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and outgoing CJI DY Chandrachud.

On October 24, the Centre officially notified Justice Khanna’s appointment following Chief Justice Chandrachud’s recommendation. November 8 was the last working day of Justice Chandrachud as the judges, lawyers and staff of the apex court and the high courts gave him a rousing farewell.

Who is Justice Sanjeev Khanna?

Justice Sanjiv Khanna has been a part of several landmark Supreme Court judgements such as upholding the sanctity of EVMs, scrapping the electoral bonds scheme, upholding the abrogation of Article 370, and the grant of interim bail to former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Hailing from an illustrious Delhi-based family, Justice Khanna is the son of former Delhi High Court judge Justice Dev Raj Khanna and the nephew of prominent former apex court judge HR Khanna.

Justice Sanjiv Khanna, elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court on January 18, 2019, was a third-generation lawyer before being appointed as judge of the high court. He is driven by the zeal to reduce pendency and speed up justice delivery.

Justice HR Khanna, the uncle of Justice Khanna, hit the headlines by resigning in 1976 after he wrote a dissenting verdict in the infamous ADM Jabalpur case during the Emergency.

The majority verdict of a Constitution bench, upholding the abrogation of fundamental rights during the Emergency, was considered a “black spot" on the judiciary.

Justice HR Khanna declared the move unconstitutional and against the rule of law and paid a price as the then central government superseded him and made Justice MH Beg the next CJI.

Justice HR Khanna was part of the landmark verdict propounding the basic structure doctrine in the Kesavananda Bharati case of 1973.

Born on May 14, 1960, Justice Khanna studied law at the Campus Law Centre of Delhi University.

He was the executive chairman of the National Legal Service Authority (NALSA), and was enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Delhi in 1983 and initially practised in the District Courts at the TisHazari complex and later, in the Delhi High Court.

He had a long tenure as the senior standing counsel for the Income Tax Department. In 2004, Justice Khanna was appointed as the standing counsel (Civil) for the National Capital Territory of Delhi.