New Delhi: Justice Sanjiv Khanna was sworn in as the 51st Chief Justice of India on Monday, succeeding Justice DY Chandrachud, who demitted office on November 10.
President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to Justice Khanna at the swearing-in ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior BJP leaders, former CJI Chandrachud and other judges of the Supreme Court. Justice Khanna will have a term of nearly seven months till May 13, 2025.
Justice Khanna has been part of several landmark Supreme Court judgements such as scrapping the electoral bonds scheme and upholding the abrogation of Article 370.
He was also part of the 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 the Delhi excise policy case.
Born on May 14, 1960, Justice Khanna studied law at the Campus Law Centre of Delhi University. He is the son of former Delhi High Court judge Justice Dev Raj Khanna and the nephew of prominent former apex court judge H R Khanna.
Justice Khanna enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Delhi in 1983. He initially practised 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.
Justice Khanna 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. He was elevated as an additional judge of the Delhi High Court in 2005 and was made a permanent judge in 2006.
While 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.
The Centre officially notified Justice Khanna’s appointment on October 24 following Chief Justice Chandrachud’s recommendation on October 16. Friday was the last working day of Justice Chandrachud as the CJI and he was given a rousing farewell by judges, lawyers and staff of the apex court and the high courts.
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