Supreme Court judge Justice Sanjiv Khanna took oath as the 51st Chief Justice of India (CJI) on Monday at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. The swearing-in-ceremony began at 10:00 A.M. and was attended by former CJI DY Chandrachud, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
The ceremony was presided over by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan who administered oath to the new CJI. The Centre had announced Justice Khanna’s appointment as the next CJI on October 24, 2024. This formal announcement came just a week after former CJI DY Chandrachud formally recommended him as his successor.
Justice Khanna's name was recommended in accordance with the established constitutional norm where the senior most judge of the Supreme Court is recommended for the highest position in Indian judiciary.
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Justice Khanna’s judicial career spans over four decades. He enrolled with the Bar Council of Delhi in 1983 and started his practice in the Tis Hazari district courts of Delhi before advancing to the Delhi High Court. He studied law at the Campus Law Centre, Delhi University. After graduating, he enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Delhi in 1983.
Before being elevated to the Delhi High Court in 2005, he served as senior standing counsel for the Income Tax Department and as standing counsel for the National Capital Territory of Delhi. After being elevated to the Delhi High Court, he became a permanent judge in 2006.
Interestingly, Justice Khanna ascended to the Supreme Court in January 2019 without serving as a chief justice of any high court.
Landmark Verdicts by him includes constitutionality of the electoral bond scheme, validity of 2019 abrogation of Article 370, the challenge to efficiency and authenticity of electronic voting machine (EVM) and VVPAT counting, Decriminalisation of Adultry, AMU Minority Status, Criminalisation of Tripple Talaq, Supreme Court's power to directly grant divorce under Article 142 and more.
A division bench headed by him had rejected demands for reverting to paper ballots before the Lok Sabha elections.
During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Justice Khanna granted interim bail to then Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. However, one cannot miss his detailed judgment denying bail to Manish Sisodia in November 2023. It was Justice Khanna, who while hearing ED's case against Sisodia had pointed out that going by the ED's argument they will have to make AAP an accused in the Delhi Liquor Policy Case. After which ED said it will make AAP a party.
Justice Khanna’s legacy is intertwined with his personal achievements as well as a family history of judicial integrity. His father, justice Dev Raj Khanna, served in the Delhi High Court. His uncle Justice HR Khanna, is one of the most celebrated judges in Indian judicial history. His uncle is remembered for his courageous dissent in the ADM Jabalpur case during India’s Emergency in 1976. He wrote a dissenting opinion which invited the Indira Gandhi government's wrath and cost him his Chief Justiceship. He was the first judge whose portrait was installed in the Supreme Court while he was alive.
Justice Sanjiv Khanna will serve as the CJI for six months before he retires in May 2025. During his tenure, the Supreme Court is likely to take up the ongoing Marital Rape case where the top court is deciding if marital rape should be criminalised. The validity of Aadhar Act and amendments made to Money Laundering law (PMLA) via Money Bill is another much awaited constitutional bench decision.