For Justice Khanna, who started his career as an advocate at the Tis Hazari court, a district court in Delhi, it has been a long journey.
New Delhi: Supreme Court’s senior most judge Justice Sanjiv Khanna is going to be the next Chief Justice of India with effect from November 11, 2024. He will be the 51 st CJI.
His hands would be full from day one till his tenure ends on May 13, 2025, ensuring greater diversification in Collegium picks for the high courts and the Supreme Court, and taking institutional steps to reduce pendency of cases. He would also have to deal with charges of institutional intrigues in allocation of cases and ensuring quick disposal of cases particularly in which the question of personal liberty is involved.
For Justice Khanna, who started his career as an advocate at the Tis Hazari court, a district court in Delhi, it has been a long journey.
He got enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Delhi in 1983 after completing law degree from the Delhi University’s Campus Law Centre, though his parents wanted him to become a chartered accountant since practising law was always seen as a tough choice.
Born in 1960 to a distinguished legal family, Justice Khanna carries forward a remarkable legacy of his uncle, Justice Hans Raj Khanna, who is easily one of the most revered judges who ever graced the Supreme Court.
His father, Dev Raj Khanna, was a judge of the Delhi High Court. He retired in 1985. His mother, Saroj Khanna, was a lecturer of Hindi at the Lady Shri Ram College in Delhi.
But for Justice Khanna, his inspiration was his uncle Justice Hans Raj Khanna who resigned from the Supreme Court after being superseded by Justice M H Beg for the CJI post by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1976. She was irked with his judgment in the ADM Jabalpur Vs Shiv Kant Shukla case, popularly known as the Habeas Corpus case.
