NEW DELHI: The central government on Thursday notified the appointment of Justice Sanjeev Khanna as the next Chief Justice of India, effective from November 11. His appointment follows the retirement of the current CJI DY Chandrachud on November 10.
Justice Sanjeev Khanna will become the country’s 51st CJI.
The Ministry of Law and Justice has issued a notification stating that, under clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution of India, the President has appointed Justice Sanjiv Khanna, currently a Supreme Court Judge, as the Chief Justice of India, effective November 11, 2024.
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal also shared a post on X and said, “In exercise of the power conferred by the Constitution of India, President, after consultation with Chief Justice of India, is pleased to appoint Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Judge of the Supreme Court of India as Chief Justice of India with effect from November 11, 2024.”
Recently, current Chief Justice Chandrachud has officially recommended Justice Sanjiv Khanna as his successor, signalling an important transition in the Indian judiciary. As the second-most senior judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Khanna will become the 51st Chief Justice of India. He is expected to serve a six-month term that will end in May 2025.
Born on May 14, 1960, Justice Khanna enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Delhi in 1983. He began his legal career practicing in district courts before moving to the Delhi High Court, handling diverse areas of law such as constitutional law, taxation, arbitration, commercial law, company law, land law, environmental law, and medical negligence.
Justice Khanna served as senior standing counsel for the Income Tax Department and also represented the National Capital Territory of Delhi as a standing counsel. He held roles as Additional Public Prosecutor and amicus curiae in the High Court. Elevated to the Delhi High Court as an Additional Judge in 2005, he became a Permanent Judge in 2006.
On January 18, 2019, he was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court. Despite ranking 33rd in the national seniority of High Court Judges, he was recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium, led by then Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, based on merit and integrity. (ANI)