CJI DY Chandrachud Formally Proposes Justice Sanjiv Khanna as Successor Chief Justice of India
(Judicial Quest News Network)
In accordance with established judicial conventions, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, who is nearing retirement, has formally recommended Justice Sanjiv Khanna, the second senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, as his successor. CJI Chandrachud has submitted a proposal to the Union Government advocating for Justice Khanna’s appointment as the next Chief Justice of India.
CJI Chandrachud is set to retire on November 10, 2024. Should the Union Government accept this recommendation, Justice Khanna will assume office as the 51st Chief Justice of India, serving a term of approximately seven months, concluding on May 13, 2025.
Justice Khanna was elevated to the Supreme Court from the Delhi High Court in January 2019. Throughout his judicial career, he has participated in numerous landmark decisions that have shaped Indian jurisprudence. Notably, he played a pivotal role in the ruling concerning the dilution of Article 370 of the Constitution, which addressed the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. Additionally, he was part of the bench that approved the Central Vista Project, a significant urban development initiative in the nation’s capital.
In another noteworthy case, Justice Khanna presided over a bench that granted interim bail to former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a case involving the Enforcement Directorate related to the Delhi excise policy. He was also a member of the five-judge bench that struck down the 2018 electoral bond scheme, a decision that had significant implications for electoral funding in India.
Justice Khanna’s legal career began when he enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Delhi in 1983. He initially practiced in the district courts at Tis Hazari Complex, Delhi, before moving on to the Delhi High Court and various tribunals, handling a diverse range of legal areas including constitutional law, direct taxation, arbitration, commercial law, company law, land law, environmental law, and medical negligence.
His distinguished service includes a long tenure as the senior standing counsel for the Income Tax Department, and in 2004, he was appointed as the Standing Counsel (Civil) for the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Justice Khanna became an additional judge of the Delhi High Court in 2006 and subsequently took on significant roles, including Chairman of the Delhi Judicial Academy and the Delhi International Arbitration Centre, as well as overseeing the District Court Mediation Centre.
He was elevated to the Supreme Court on January 18, 2019, and has since held the position of Chairman of the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee from June 17, 2023, until December 25, 2023. Currently, he 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.
As Justice Khanna prepares to potentially assume the role of Chief Justice, his extensive experience and contributions to Indian law position him as a significant figure in the judiciary, capable of steering the Supreme Court through its next chapter.
