GUWAHATI: Justice Sanjiv Khanna took oath as the 51st Chief Justice of India on Monday, November 11 at Rashtrapati Bhavan, succeeding Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, who retired on Novmber 10. President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath to the 64-year-old jurist at 10 am.
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Justice Khanna, who will serve a six-month tenure until May 13, 2025, brings extensive experience from his legal career. He began practising in 1983 and was appointed to the Delhi High Court in 2005 before becoming a Supreme Court judge in 2019. Known for his expertise in constitutional, taxation, arbitration, and environmental law, he has also served as senior standing counsel for the Income Tax Department.
In his nearly six-year tenure as Supreme Court judge, Justice Khanna has authored several key rulings. He was part of the five-judge Constitution Bench that in February this year struck down the Electoral Bond Scheme as unconstitutional, and in 2023 was part of the bench that upheld the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution. In 2023, Justice Khanna authored a key Constitutional Bench ruling that held that the Supreme Court has the power to directly grant divorce under Article 142 of the Constitution on the grounds of “irretrievable breakdown of marriage”. He also played a key role in granting interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Meanwhile, DY Chandrachud, in his final remarks, expressed his deep emotions, stating, "There is no greater feeling than being able to serve those in need."
