As CJI, reducing the number of pending cases and speeding up the delivery of justice is his priority. He is the son of Justice Devraj Khanna, a senior judge of the Delhi High Court, and the nephew of Justice HR Khanna, a well-known former Supreme Court judge.
Justice Sanjiv Khanna was sworn in as the 51st Chief Justice of the country on Monday. President Draupadi Murmu administered the oath of office and secrecy to him at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Justice Khanna’s tenure will last till May 13, 2025. Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who belongs to a prestigious family in Delhi, is a third-generation lawyer. Before becoming a judge, he started his career in 1983 with the practice of law in Tis Hazari Court. He also practiced law in the Delhi High Court and will now hold the chair of the Chief Justice of the country for the next six months.
Born on 14 May 1960 in Delhi
Justice Khanna was born on 14 May 1960 in Delhi and studied law at DU’s Campus Law Center. He was appointed as the permanent lawyer (civil) of the National Capital Territory of Delhi in 2004 and became an ad hoc judge in the Delhi High Court in 2005. Later he was appointed as a permanent judge. He also argued in many criminal cases as an Additional Public Prosecutor and Amicus Curiae in the Delhi High Court. He also had a long tenure as Senior Permanent Counsel of the Income Tax Department.
What is Justice Khanna’s priority?
As CJI, reducing the number of pending cases and speeding up the delivery of justice are his priorities. He is the son of Justice Devraj Khanna, a senior judge of the Delhi High Court, and the nephew of Justice HR Khanna, a well-known former judge of the Supreme Court. His uncle Justice HR Khanna was in the headlines by resigning after writing a dissenting judgment in the ADM Jabalpur case during the Emergency in 1976.
Promoted in 2019, he stepped into the Supreme Court
Justice Khanna was elevated to the Supreme Court on 18 January 2019 on the recommendation of the Collegium. After coming to the Supreme Court, he was the Chairman of the Supreme Court Legal Service Committee from 17 June 2023 to 25 December 2023. Currently, he is the Executive Chairman of the National Legal Service Authority and Governing Council Member of the National Judicial Academy Bhopal. He will retire on 13 May next year.
From EVMs to interim bail to Kejriwal, many important decisions were given
While being a Supreme Court judge, he was a part of many historic decisions. On April 26, a bench headed by Justice Khanna termed the suspicion of EVM tampering as baseless and rejected the demand to return to the old paper ballot system.
Justice Khanna was part of the five-judge bench that upheld the Center’s 2019 decision to repeal Article 370 of the Constitution. Justice Khanna’s bench had for the first time granted interim bail till June 1 to then Chief Minister Kejriwal to campaign in the Lok Sabha elections in the excise policy scam cases.
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