Justice Sanjiv Khanna has been nominated by the present CJI, D.Y. Chandrachud, as the next CJI. This is a normal practice where the retiring Chief Justice nominates his or her successor, a move that has to be ratified by the Union government. Justice Khanna, who is the second senior most judge in the Supreme Court now, will become 51st CJI after Chandrachud on November 10, 2024.
Justice Khanna was born on May 14, 1960, after which he started his practice as an advocate with the Bar Council of Delhi in 1983. He first worked in the district courts in Tis Hazari and later developed his experience in the Delhi High Court and different tribunals. He has legal expertise in constitutional law, taxation, and arbitration law. Interestingly, he worked as senior standing counsel for the Income Tax Department, and in some other important cases, he worked as an additional public prosecutor.
Justice Khanna began his judicial career when he was appointed Additional Judge of the Delhi High Court in 2005 and permanently in 2006. He then was promoted to the Supreme Court on January 18, 2019. During his service, he was involved in influential judgements like the abrogation of Article 370 and the Centre’s contentious Central Vista Project.
Besides his judicial work, Justice Khanna is the Executive Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority and a member of the Governing Council of the National Judicial Academy in Bhopal.
This is so as Justice Khanna is set to take up this significant role, and his term will expire on May 13, 2025, marking a crucial period in India's judiciary amid ongoing discussions about judicial reforms and constitutional matters.
