Who is India¡¯s 51st CJI Sanjiv Khanna? Know his education, key judgements, retirement date, family background

On November 11th at 10, India¡¯s President Droupadi Murmu administered Justice Sanjiv Khanna's oath of office at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The senior judge of the Supreme Court was sworn in as the 51st Chief Justice of India and is all set to officially begin his six-month service as the ultimate law monitor.

Who is Sanjiv Khanna?

The second-most senior judge of the Supreme Court, Mr Khanna was proposed to be the next Chief Justice by the outgoing CJI DY Chandrachud who retired on November 10 after a year-long service since November 9, 2022. Born on May 14, 1960, Justice Sanjiv¡¯s legal career began in 1983 where he worked as an advocate with the Delhi Bar Council.

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He then served as the Senior Standing Counsel for the Income Tax Department followed by his appointment as Standing Counsel (Civil) for the National Capital Territory of Delhi in 2004. Over the years Mr Khanna gained extensive experience in constitutional law, taxation, arbitration, commercial law, and environmental law.

In 2005, Justice Sanjiv took up the charge of an additional judge of the Delhi High Court and became a permanent judge in 2006. On January 18, 2019, Justice Khanna was appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court without having previously served as Chief Justice of a High Court. He currently serves as the Executive Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority and is a member of the Governing Council of the National Judicial Academy in Bhopal.

Sanjiv Khanna¡¯s education and family background

Justice Khanna completed his early schooling at New Delhi¡¯s Modern School in 1977. After his graduation from St. Stephen's College, Delhi in 1980, he went on to study law at the Campus Law Centre of the Faculty of Law, University of Delhi. Sanjiv is the son of Justice Dev Raj Khanna who retired as a Delhi High Court judge in 1985.

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His mother Saroj Khanna was a renowned Hindi lecturer at Delhi¡¯s popular Lady Shri Ram College. Interestingly, Justice Sanjiv has an extensive law influence in his family. Even his uncle Hans Raj Khanna was a former judge of the Supreme Court of India (the man who propounded the basic structure doctrine in 1973 and passed the judgement in the 1976 Habeas Corpus case.

Sanjiv Khanna¡¯s key judgements and retirement date

Justice Khanna has made several landmark judgements including granting interim bail to former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. He was the one who lately emphasised that delays in proceedings could serve as a valid ground for granting bail under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Here¡¯s a look at some of his key judgment contributions.

1. Article 370 abrogation

2. Striking down of the Electoral Bond Scheme

3. Divorce under Article 142

4. Dismissal of plea for 100 per cent VVPAT verification

5. Right to Information (RTI) and judicial independence

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Justice Sanjiv Khanna will retire on 13th May 2025 and will be succeeded by Justice B.R. Gavai.

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