Justice Sanjiv Khanna to Be Sworn in as 51st Chief Justice of India

Justice Sanjiv Khanna, known for his role in key Supreme Court rulings, including the annulment of the electoral bonds scheme and the upholding of Article 370's abrogation, will be sworn in as the 51st Chief Justice of India on Monday.

President Droupadi Murmu will administer the oath of office at Rashtrapati Bhavan in a ceremony scheduled for 10 a.m. Justice Khanna will succeed Justice DY Chandrachud, who retired on Sunday. His term will last until May 13, 2025.

The Centre officially notified Justice Khanna’s appointment on October 24, following Chief Justice Chandrachud’s recommendation on October 16. Friday was Justice Chandrachud's last working day as the CJI, and he was given a rousing farewell by judges, lawyers, and staff of the apex court and the high courts.

Justice Khanna, who served as a Supreme Court judge since January 2019, has been part of several landmark 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 CM 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 H R Khanna.

Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who was 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 H R 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 H R Khanna declared the move unconstitutional and against the rule of law and paid a price as the then central government superseded him and made Justice M H Beg the next CJI. Justice H R Khanna was part of the landmark verdict propounding the basic structure doctrine in the Kesavananda Bharati case of 1973.

Among the notable judgments of Justice Sanjiv Khanna in the Supreme Court is upholding the use of electronic voting machines in elections, saying the devices were secure and eliminated booth capturing and bogus voting.

He enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Delhi in 1983 and initially practiced in the District Courts at the TisHazari complex here and later, in the Delhi High Court.

Justice Khanna served a lengthy tenure as the senior standing counsel for the Income Tax Department. In 2004, he was appointed standing counsel (Civil) for the National Capital Territory of Delhi. He also represented several criminal cases at the Delhi High Court, both as an additional public prosecutor and as an amicus curiae.