CJI Chandrachud Recommends Justice Sanjiv Khanna as Successor

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 17th Oct. Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud has initiated the process for his successor’s appointment by recommending the name of senior-most Supreme Court judge, Justice Sanjiv Khanna, to the Central Government. Sources indicate that CJI Chandrachud submitted his recommendation in a letter handed over to Justice Khanna on Wednesday.

Justice Khanna is poised to become the 51st Chief Justice of India on November 11, 2023. He was elevated to the Supreme Court on January 18, 2019, and is set to retire on May 13, 2025. If he assumes office as the Chief Justice, he will serve for just over six months before demitting office.

Justice Khanna began his judicial career as an additional judge of the Delhi High Court in 2005, becoming a permanent judge the following year. Born on May 14, 1960, he earned his law degree from the Campus Law Centre at Delhi University.

Throughout his tenure in the Supreme Court, Justice Khanna has made significant contributions, including upholding the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in elections, emphasizing their security against booth capturing and bogus voting. He was also part of the five-judge bench that declared the electoral bond scheme for political party funding unconstitutional.

Notably, Justice Khanna was involved in the five-judge bench that upheld the Centre’s 2019 decision to abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution, which granted special status to the former state of Jammu and Kashmir.

As the judicial community awaits the formal appointment, Justice Khanna’s track record suggests he will continue to play a pivotal role in shaping Indian jurisprudence in the months to come.