Who is Justice Sanjiv Khanna who will replace DY Chandrachud as Chief Justice today?

Justice Sanjiv Khanna will be sworn in as the 51st Chief Justice of India (CJI) on Monday at a ceremony presided over by President Draupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The ceremony will begin at 10 am.

Justice Sanjiv Khanna will replace Justice Dhananjay Y Chandrachud, who retired on November 10 after a two-year term. The central government announced the appointment of Justice Khanna on October 24, 2024. Let's know about Justice Sanjiv Khanna:

Career spanning more than four decades

Justice Sanjiv Khanna has a judicial career spanning more than four decades. After joining the Delhi Bar Council in 1983, he started his practice at the Tis Hazari District Courts in Delhi before moving to the Delhi High Court. He served as Senior Standing Counsel for the Income Tax Department and Standing Counsel for the National Capital Territory of Delhi.

He was promoted to the Delhi High Court in 2005 and became a permanent judge in 2006. After this, he became a judge in the Supreme Court in January 2019 without serving as the Chief Justice of any High Court.

Was part of many historic decisions

During his tenure in the Supreme Court, Justice Khanna has made many historic decisions. This includes maintaining the utility of EVMs in elections, rejecting the electoral bond scheme, upholding the decision to repeal Article 370, and granting interim bail to the then Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal for campaigning during the Lok Sabha elections.

Father was also a High Court judge.

Justice Khanna is the son of former Delhi High Court judge Justice Dev Raj Khanna. He is the nephew of former Supreme Court judge HR Khanna. Before becoming a judge in the High Court, he was the third-generation lawyer in his family. Born on May 14, 1960, Justice Sanjeev Khanna studied law from the Campus Law Center of Delhi University.