New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu has appointed Justice Sanjiv Khanna as the 51st Chief Justice of India. He is expected to take the oath of office on November 11, succeeding CJI D Y Chandrachud, who retires on November 10.

The official notification states that Justice Khanna's appointment, effective November 11, 2024, is made under clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution of India. His tenure will be relatively brief, lasting just six months, as he is set to retire on March 13, 2025.

Justice Khanna graduated from Delhi University’s Campus Law Centre and began practising as an advocate in 1983, primarily before the Delhi High Court. Before being appointed as a judge of the Delhi High Court in June 2005, he served as Senior Standing Counsel for the Income Tax Department and as standing counsel for civil matters for the Delhi government.

He comes from a distinguished legal family; his father, Dev Raj Khanna, was a judge of the Delhi High Court, and his uncle, Hans Raj Khanna, was a prominent Supreme Court judge who resigned after being overlooked for the chief justiceship during the Emergency period.

Known for his reserved demeanour, Justice Khanna has spent nearly two decades in Delhi's judicial system. His upcoming role as Chief Justice marks his first significant administrative position as a judge, although he currently serves as the Executive Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority.

Elevated to the Supreme Court in January 2019, Justice Khanna's rise was notable as he was chosen over other senior judges from the Delhi High Court. Throughout his nearly six-year tenure, he has authored several important rulings, including being part of the five-judge Constitution Bench that struck down the Electoral Bond Scheme as unconstitutional. In 2023, he upheld the abrogation of Article 370 and authored a pivotal ruling allowing the Supreme Court to grant divorce directly under Article 142 for "irretrievable breakdown of marriage."

BI Bureau