Today, Justice Sanjiv Khanna is set to take the oath as the 51st Chief Justice of India (CJI) today with President Droupadi Murmu administering the oath at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Justice Khanna will succeed Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, who retired on Sunday. Justice Khanna’s tenure will continue until mid-May 2025.
Appointed as a Supreme Court judge in January 2019, Justice Khanna has been instrumental in several landmark judgments that have shaped Indian jurisprudence. Among his notable rulings, he upheld the legality of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), scrapped the controversial electoral bonds scheme, supported the abrogation of Article 370, and granted interim bail to former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
A third-generation lawyer before ascending to the bench, Justice Khanna hails from a distinguished legal family. His father, Justice Dev Raj Khanna, served as a Delhi High Court judge, while his uncle, Justice H.R. Khanna, is remembered as a prominent former Supreme Court judge known for his dissenting stand during the Emergency era.
