Justice Sanjiv Khanna took oath as the 51st Chief Justice of India at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday, following the retirement of his predecessor, Justice DY Chandrachud.
President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to Justice Khanna at a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju, Minister of Power Manohar Lal Khattar, former Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, and other important personages.
Justice Khanna's name was recommended by Justice Chandrachud, who retired from the post on November 10 at the age of 65. He will serve as the Chief Justice till May 13 next year.
Born on May 14, 1960, Justice Sanjiv Khanna studied law at the Campus Law Centre of Delhi University. He was a third-generation lawyer before being appointed as judge of the Delhi High Court. He also served as the executive chairman of the National Legal Service Authority (NALSA).
Justice Khanna was appointed to the Supreme Court in January 2019. During his tenure as a top court judge, he headed the benches of several politically sensitive cases, including hearing the bail applications of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in the liquor policy case.
In a decision described as one-of-its kind, Justice Khanna's bench granted interim bail to Kejriwal in May, specifically for campaigning during the Lok Sabha elections. The bench referred the case to a larger bench and granted interim bail to the former Delhi chief minister again in July, to explore the need for additional grounds for arrest under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to prevent misuse of the law.
As part of the Constitution Bench, Justice Khanna has also contributed to several judgments, including the revoking of Article 370 and the electoral bonds case.
Justice Khanna's bench also dealt with issues related to the electronic voting machines (EVMs) and Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs).
Source: India Today