Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud has recommended the name of second seniormost judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Sanjiv Khanna, as his successor.
The CJI has written a letter to the Government of India proposing the name of Justice Khanna as the 51st Chief Justice of India.
CJI Chandrachud will demit office on November 10, 2024.
As per the Memorandum of Procedure for the appointment of Chief Justice of India and Supreme Court Judges, the Ministry of Law and Justice seeks the recommendation of the outgoing CJI for the same.
The letter from the Government of India kickstarts the appointment process for the next Chief Justice of India.
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 Delhi High Court in various fields of law, including constitutional law, direct taxation, arbitration, commercial law, company law, land law, environmental law, and medical negligence.
He 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 an Additional Public Prosecutor and amicus curiae in the High Court.
Justice Khanna 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 led the Supreme Court Bench that granted interim bail to former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to campaign in the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. He was also a member of the Constitution Bench, which upheld the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution in Jammu and Kashmir.
As CJI, Justice Khanna will have a term of almost seven months. He is due to retire on May 13, 2025.