Justice Sanjiv Khanna, known for his role in several landmark Supreme Court judgments—such as scrapping the electoral bonds scheme and upholding the abrogation of Article 370—will be sworn in as the 51st Chief Justice of India on Monday. The oath of office will be administered by President Droupadi Murmu at 10 am in a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Justice Khanna succeeds Justice DY Chandrachud, who retired on Sunday, and his tenure will extend until May 13, 2025. The Centre notified his appointment on October 24, following a recommendation from Justice Chandrachud on October 16. Justice Chandrachud received a warm farewell on his last working day, Friday, with judges, lawyers, and staff of the Supreme Court and high courts in attendance.
Appointed to the Supreme Court in January 2019, Justice Khanna has delivered numerous significant judgments, including those affirming the security of EVMs, striking down the electoral bonds scheme, and supporting the abrogation of Article 370. He also granted interim bail to former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a high-profile excise policy case.
Justice Khanna hails from a distinguished Delhi family with legal roots; his father was Justice Dev Raj Khanna, a former Delhi High Court judge, and his uncle, Justice HR Khanna, was a renowned Supreme Court judge known for his dissenting verdict during the Emergency in the ADM Jabalpur case. This dissent, where Justice HR Khanna upheld fundamental rights, led to his resignation after being overlooked for the position of Chief Justice.
Throughout his career, Justice Sanjiv Khanna has focused on expediting justice and reducing case backlogs. A third-generation lawyer, he enrolled with the Bar Council of Delhi in 1983, practising initially in the Tis Hazari District Courts and later in the Delhi High Court. He served as a senior standing counsel for the Income Tax Department and as a standing counsel for Delhi’s National Capital Territory. He has argued criminal cases and served as amicus curiae in the Delhi High Court.
Justice Khanna was instrumental in the 1973 Kesavananda Bharati case that established the basic structure doctrine, safeguarding the Constitution’s fundamental principles. One of his notable judgments includes affirming the security of electronic voting machines (EVMs), stating that they prevent booth capturing and voting fraud, and rejecting calls to revert to paper ballots. He also chaired a bench that declared the electoral bond scheme unconstitutional and participated in the bench that upheld the abrogation of Article 370, which had granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
Justice Sanjiv Khanna was born on May 14, 1960, and studied law at Delhi University’s Campus Law Centre. He has also served as the executive chairman of the National Legal Service Authority (NALSA), continuing his commitment to equitable access to justice.
With inputs from PTI