Justice Sanjiv Khanna Sworn in as the 51st Chief Justice of India Today

Justice Sanjiv Khanna was sworn in as the 51st Chief Justice of India on Monday, taking the oath at Rashtrapati Bhavan, administered by President Droupadi Murmu. Justice Khanna succeeds Justice DY Chandrachud, whose term as CJI ended on Friday. The Centre officially notified his appointment on October 24, following a recommendation from Justice Chandrachud on October 16.

At 64, Justice Khanna will serve a six-month term, expected to retire on May 13, 2025. He has been a key figure in several landmark judgments, including the scrapping of the electoral bonds scheme, upholding the abrogation of Article 370, and affirming the use of electronic voting machines. One of his notable rulings included granting interim bail to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal to campaign in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections amid the excise policy scam cases.

Justice Khanna comes from a distinguished legal family. His father, Justice Dev Raj Khanna, was a former judge at the Delhi High Court, and his uncle, Justice HR Khanna, is remembered for his dissenting opinion in the controversial ADM Jabalpur case during the Emergency of 1976. He began his legal career in 1983, practising initially in district courts before becoming a permanent judge at the Delhi High Court in 2006. He was elevated to the Supreme Court in January 2019.