New Delhi:The Centre on Thursday notified the appointment of Justice Sanjiv Khanna as the next Chief Justice of India. Justice Khanna will become the 51st Chief Justice of India.
Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud will retire on November 10. Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, in a post on X said: “In exercise of the power conferred by the Constitution of India, Hon’ble President, after consultation with Hon’ble Chief Justice of India, is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Judge of the Supreme Court of India as Chief Justice of India with effect from 11th November, 2024 (sic)".
Earlier this month, CJI Chandrachud had written to the Law Ministry, naming Justice Sanjiv Khanna, the second-most senior judge of the Supreme Court, as his successor.
Justice Khanna has been a part of several important rulings. He was part of a bench, which gave a go ahead to the Central Vista Project. A bench led by Justice Khanna gave interim bail to former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in an ED case in connection with Delhi excise policy case.
He has also been part of the Constitution bench, which upheld the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution. He was also part of the bench which struck down the 2018 electoral bonds scheme.
He enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Delhi in 1983. He initially practiced in the district courts at the Tis Hazari complex, Delhi, and later, in the High Court of Delhi and tribunals in fields as diverse as constitutional law, direct taxation, arbitration, commercial law, company law, land law, environmental law and medical negligence.
He had a long tenure as the senior standing counsel for the Income Tax Department. In 2004, he was appointed as the Standing Counsel (Civil) for the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Justice Khanna was elevated as an additional judge of the Delhi High Court in 2005 and was made a permanent judge in 2006.
Whilst a judge of the Delhi High Court, he held the position of chairman/judge-in-charge, Delhi Judicial Academy, Delhi International Arbitration Centre and the District Court Mediation Centres. He was elevated as a Judge of the Supreme Court on 18th January, 2019. He held the post of chairman, Supreme Court Legal Service Committee, from 17th June 2023 till 25th December 2023.
He is presently the executive chairman of National Legal Services Authority and a member of the governing counsel of the National Judicial Academy, Bhopal.
