GUWAHATI: President Droupadi Murmu officially appointed Justice Sanjiv Khanna as the next Chief Justice of India (CJI), following the Central government's approval, on October 24.
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Justice Khanna will succeed the current CJI, DY Chandrachud, after his retirement on November 10. CJI Chandrachud had earlier recommended Justice Khanna, the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, for the position, in line with tradition.
Union Minister of State for Law & Justice, Arjun Ram Meghwal, announced the news on X (formerly Twitter). Justice Khanna's tenure as the 51st CJI will last 183 days, with his retirement set for May 13, 2025.
Justice Khanna began his legal career in 1983, specializing in taxation, constitutional law, arbitration, and commercial matters. In 2004, he became the Standing Counsel (Civil) for the National Capital Territory of Delhi, before being appointed as an Additional Judge of the Delhi High Court in 2005. He was confirmed as a permanent judge the following year and was elevated to the Supreme Court on January 18, 2019.
Justice Khanna is the nephew of the renowned former Supreme Court judge, Hans Raj Khanna, famous for his dissent in the ADM Jabalpur case during the Emergency. As a Supreme Court judge, Justice Sanjiv Khanna has played a pivotal role in several landmark cases. He was part of the Constitution Bench that upheld the abrogation of Article 370 and was also involved in striking down the controversial Electoral Bonds scheme, which allowed anonymous donations to political parties.
In May 2023, Justice Khanna and other judges ruled that the Supreme Court could exercise its powers under Article 142 to grant divorce in cases of irretrievable marital breakdown. Additionally, in April 2024, his Bench rejected a petition calling for all VVPAT slips to be tallied with votes cast via EVMs during elections.
Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, a Bench led by Justice Khanna declined to stay the appointments of Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu as Election Commissioners. Notably, in July 2024, his Bench granted interim bail to then-Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the Delhi excise policy money laundering case, and earlier provided bail to MP Sanjay Singh in the same case.
Justice Khanna's rulings have also sparked significant discourse on individual freedoms. In August 2024, he questioned a Mumbai college's ban on burqas, hijabs, and niqabs, temporarily staying the institution’s directive. He also recused himself from hearing review petitions challenging the Supreme Court’s 2023 verdict denying same-sex couples the right to marriage or civil unions.
Throughout his career, Justice Khanna has focused on addressing systemic issues like delayed case disposal and the high cost of litigation. At a Full Court Reference in 2019, he emphasized the role of judges as “keepers of law,” cautioning that enthusiasm should not overshadow judicial restraint.
