Justice Sanjiv Khanna: President Droupadi Murmu will swear in Justice Sanjiv Khanna as the next Chief Justice of India (CJI) on Monday. Justice Khanna, the 51st CJI, will serve a term of approximately six months.
As a Supreme Court judge, Justice Khanna has been part of several landmark rulings, including those on Article 370, the decriminalization of adultery, the electoral bonds scheme, and the EVM-VVPAT tally.
On October 24, the Centre approved his appointment to the highest judicial office following a recommendation from outgoing CJI D.Y. Chandrachud. A notification issued by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice stated, “In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Judge of the Supreme Court, to be the Chief Justice of India with effect from 11 November 2024.”
Justice Khanna currently serves as the Chairman of the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee, the Executive Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority, and a member of the Governing Council of the National Judicial Academy, Bhopal. Prior to his elevation to the Supreme Court, he served as a judge of the Delhi High Court until January 2019. There, he held various positions, including Chairman of the Delhi Judicial Academy, the Delhi International Arbitration Centre, and the District Court Mediation Centres.
Born in May 1960, Justice Khanna earned his law degree from the Campus Law Centre, Delhi University, and was enrolled as an advocate in the Bar Council of Delhi in 1983. He primarily practiced in taxation, arbitration, commercial law, environmental law, medical negligence law, and company law. He also served as the Senior Standing Counsel for the Income Tax Department and the Standing Counsel (Civil) for the Delhi government. In addition, Justice Khanna appeared in numerous criminal cases as an Additional Public Prosecutor and as amicus curiae at the Delhi High Court.
