Justice Sanjiv Khanna will take oath as the 51st Chief Justice of India at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday, following the retirement of his predecessor, Justice DY Chandrachud.
Justice Khanna’s name was recommended by Justice Chandrachud, who said he resigned on November 10 65 years old. He will serve as Chief Justice until May 13 next year.
Born on May 14, 1960, Justice Sanjiv Khanna studied law at the Campus Law Center of Delhi University. He was a third-generation lawyer before he was appointed as a 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 high court judge, he presided over several politically sensitive cases, including hearing the bail pleas of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi chief minister Arvind. Kejriwal on liquor policy case.
In a decision described as its own, a bench of Justice Khanna granted Kejriwal interim bail in May, mainly to campaign 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 examine 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 also contributed to several judgments, including the abrogation of Article 370 and the electoral bonds case.
Justice Khanna’s bench also dealt with issues related to electronic voting machines (EVMs) and Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs).
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