NEW DELHI: Supreme Court's senior most judge Justice Sanjiv Khanna was on Monday sworn in as the Chief Justice of India.
President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to Justice Khanna in a function at Rashtrapati Bhawan here.
President Droupadi Murmu Administers Oath to New CJI Sanjiv Khanna at Rashtrapati Bhawan
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar and Union Ministers, along with sitting and former Supreme Court judges were among those who were present on the occasion.
He succeeded CJI D Y Chandrachud, who demitted office on Sunday, November 10.
Justice Khanna is the 51 st Chief Justice of India and his tenure would last till May 13, 2025.
Justice Khanna’s Tenure as Chief Justice of India Set to Conclude on May 13, 2025
The Union government issued a notification on appointment of Justice Khanna as the CJI on October 24.
Justice Khanna has been a part of several important rulings, including on dilution of Article 370 of the Constitution.
He was part of a bench, which gave a green signal to the Central Vista Project.
A bench led by him gave interim bail to former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in an Enforcement Directorate case in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.
Also Read : CJI Chandrachud names Justice Khanna as successor
He was also part of the five-judge bench which struck down the 2018 electoral bonds scheme.
Born in 1960 to a distinguished legal family, Justice Khanna carries forward a remarkable pedigree and legacy that of his uncle, Justice Hans Raj Khanna, who is easily one of the most revered Judges who ever graced the Supreme Court.
His father Dev Raj Khanna was a judge of the Delhi High Court. He retired in 1985. His mother Saroj Khanna was a lecturer of Hindi in Lady Shri Ram College in Delhi.
Justice Khanna enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Delhi in 1983 after completing his LLB from Delhi University's Campus Law Centre. 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.
He also 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.
As 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 January 18, 2019. He held the post of chairman of the Supreme Court Legal Service Committee, from June 17, 2023 till December 25, 2023.
