Who Is Justice Sanjiv Khanna, The Next Likely Chief Justice Of India?
Supreme Court Chief Justice DY Chandrachud has recommended Justice Sanjiv Khanna, the second senior judge of the Supreme Court, as the next Chief Justice of the country.
Justice Chandrachud has written to the Union Government proposing his successor’s name, as the tenure of the outgoing chief justice is set to end by November 10. If the Centre accepts the proposal of the Chief Justice, Justice Khanna will take charge as the 51st Chief Justice of India. If selected to the position, Justice Khanna will serve from November 10 to May 13, 2025, a seven-month term as he is due to retire by then.
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Who Is Justice Sanjiv Khanna?
Elevated to the Supreme Court from the High Court in January 2019, Justice Khanna has served several crucial roles. He kicked off his career enrolling into the Bar Council of Delhi as an advocate in 1983, and later became part of various tribunals involving constitutional law, direct taxation, arbitration, commercial law, company law, land law, environmental law, and medical negligence. He also served as Standing Counsel (Civil) for Delhi and Senior Standing Counsel for the Income Tax Department, gaining vast experience in handling cases.
It was in 2005 that Justice Khanna was appointed as an additional judge in the Delhi High Court, and in 2006, he became a permanent judge. His appointment had caused controversy, noting that there were 33 judges senior to him. After being elevated as the Supreme Court judge in 2019, he held positions such as the chairmanship of the Supreme Court Legal Service Committee from June 2023 to December 2023, the Executive Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority, and a member of the Governing Counsel of the National Judicial Academy, Bhopal.
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Justice Khanna was part of the bench that granted interim bail for AAP supremo and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on May 10 for the election campaign.
