NEW DELHI (TIP): Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud has recommended Justice Sanjiv Khanna to the government for appointment as the 51st Chief Justice of India. Chief Justice Chandrachud is scheduled to retire on November 10. Under the Memorandum of Procedure for appointment of Chief Justice of India and Supreme Court Judges, the Law Ministry seeks the recommendation of the outgoing Chief Justice about the next appointment. The letter from the government kick-starts the appointment process for the next Chief Justice of India.

Justice Sanjiv Khanna is the next in line to be Chief Justice of India in accordance with the seniority norm.

Who is Sanjiv Khanna?
Born on May 14, 1960, Justice Khanna enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Delhi in 1983.

He Initially practiced in the district courts and later in the High Court of Delhi in various fields of law, including constitutional law, direct taxation, arbitration, commercial law, company law, land law, environmental law and medical negligence. Justice Khanna was a senior standing Counsel for the Income Tax Department. He had also functioned as a standing counsel for the National Capital Territory of Delhi and appeared as Additional Public Prosecutor and amicus curiae in the High Court.

He was elevated as an Additional Judge of the Delhi High Court in 2005 and made a Permanent Judge in 2006. He was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court on January 18, 2019. Justice Khanna was ranked 33 in the combined seniority of High Court Judges on all-India basis, but the then Supreme Court Collegium headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had recommended him over others on grounds of merit and integrity.

Justice Khanna had led the Supreme Court which gave interim bail to former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to campaign in the Lok Sabha elections of 2024. He was also a member of the Constitution Bench which upheld the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution in Jammu and Kashmir.

Justice Khanna is due to retire on May 13, 2025.
(Source: The Hindu)