Chief Justice Of India 2024: Sanjeev Khanna

 

President Draupadi Murmu administered the oath of the office of the Chief Justice of India (CJI) to Supreme Court judge Justice Sanjiv Khanna on Monday (November 11, 2024) at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

He comes from a distinguished legal family and is the third generation of his family to enter a legal profession. His father, justice Dev Raj Khanna, was a former Delhi High Court judge,and his uncle, HR Khanna was a renowned supreme court judge.

The swearing-in ceremony of the 51st Chief Justice of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan saw Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, government Ministers, former Chief Justices of India, sitting and retired judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts in attendance.

At ten in the morning, President Droupadi Murmu gave him the oath of office. He will hold the position of Chief Justice of India for a period of six months.

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The outgoing Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, who retired on November 10 after serving since November 9, 2022, nominated Justice Sanjiv Khanna, the Supreme Court's second-most senior judge, to be Chief Justice. Sanjiv Khanna, who was born on May 14, 1960, started practicing law in 1983 as an advocate for the Delhi Bar Council. He has a wealth of knowledge in the areas of taxation, arbitration, commercial law, environmental law, and constitutional law.

Justice Khanna also served as the Senior Standing Counsel for the Income Tax Department. In 2004, he was appointed Standing Counsel (Civil) for the National Capital Territory of Delhi.

Justice Khanna's noteworthy judicial career began in 2005 when he was appointed as an additional judge of the Delhi High Court and in 2006 when he was made a permanent judge. Justice Khanna had a crucial part in forming the legal system during his time there by making important contributions to the Delhi Judicial Academy, Delhi International Arbitration Center, and District Court Mediation Centers.

Justice Khanna was appointed to the Supreme Court on January 18, 2019, despite never having held the position of Chief Justice of a High Court. 

Arvind Kejriwal, the former chief minister of Delhi, was granted interim bail by Justice Khanna, one of his many historic rulings. Kejriwal was able to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections thanks to this judgment. In yet another significant decision, Justice Khanna emphasized that the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) may legitimately issue bail in cases when procedures have been delayed. This ruling was made in a case involving Manish Sisodia, the former deputy chief minister of Delhi.

As chief justice, khanna is widely recognised for his commitment to reducing judicial pendency and accelerating the pace of justice delivery in India.