New Delhi: In a recent announcement by the government of India, Justice Sanjiv Khanna has been appointed the 51st Chief Justice of India (CJI) and will officially take office on November 11, 2024. His appointment is part of the natural succession process, as he will replace Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, who is set to retire on November 10. This transition marks a new phase in the Indian judiciary, although Justice Khanna’s tenure as CJI will be brief, spanning only six months until his scheduled retirement on March 13, 2025.
Justice Khanna hails from a family deeply rooted in the Indian judiciary. His father, Dev Raj Khanna, served as a judge at the Delhi High Court, while his uncle, Hans Raj Khanna, is remembered for his dissenting judgment in the 1976 Habeas Corpus case of ADM Jabalpur v. Shivkant Shukla. Justice Hans Raj Khanna’s landmark dissent emphasized the fundamental right to life and liberty even during the Emergency—a stance that ultimately cost him the chief justiceship.
Justice Sanjiv Khanna, born on May 14, 1960, completed his schooling at Delhi’s Modern School, Barakhamba Road, and graduated from the University of Delhi in 1980. Afterward, he pursued his law degree from DU’s Campus Law Centre, enrolling as an advocate with the Delhi Bar Council in 1983. Known for his exceptional competence, Justice Khanna primarily practiced at the Delhi High Court and tribunals across various legal domains, including constitutional law, direct taxation, arbitration, and more.
Before his appointment to the Supreme Court in January 2019, Justice Khanna served as a judge at the Delhi High Court, where he was initially promoted in 2005. Over the years, he took on various significant roles, including serving as the Senior Standing Counsel for the Income Tax Department, the Standing Counsel for the Delhi Government on civil matters, and Additional Public Prosecutor in many high-profile criminal cases.
Justice Khanna has also held prominent administrative positions within the judicial sector. Notably, he served as the Chairman of the Delhi Judicial Academy, the Delhi International Arbitration Centre, and was the Executive Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) at the time of his recent appointment.
His Supreme Court career has been marked by pivotal judgments in landmark cases, such as the 2023 decision upholding the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, the ruling against the Electoral Bond Scheme, and a critical judgment on the “irretrievable breakdown of marriage” which allowed the Supreme Court to directly grant divorce under Article 142 of the Constitution.
Justice Khanna’s elevation to the Chief Justiceship, although for a relatively short term, highlights the importance of seniority and merit within India’s judicial framework. His appointment is in line with the recommendation of outgoing CJI Chandrachud and falls under Article 124(2) of the Indian Constitution. Justice Khanna’s six-month tenure as CJI will conclude just before his 65th birthday in May 2025.
His time as CJI, although brief, is anticipated to maintain continuity and stability in the Indian judiciary.
