Justice Sanjiv Khanna of Supreme Court took oath as the 51st Chief Justice of India on Monday at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
President of India Miss Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office and secrecy to Justice Khanna.
The swearing-in-ceremony, which started at 10:00 am, was live-streamed on the website of the Supreme Court of India.
The event was attended by Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, among others.
The Union government on October 24 this year had notified the appointment of Justice Khanna for the post of top judge of the country,after the due recommendation made by the former CJI DY Chandrachud.
Former CJI Chandrachud named Justice Khanna as his successor, in accordance with the established constitutional norm, wherein the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court is recommended for the highest position in the Indian judiciary.
Justice Khanna will have a tenure of seven months. He will retire in May 2025.
Justice Khanna enrolled as an Advocate with the Bar Council of Delhi in 1983. He initially practiced in the District Courts at the Tis Hazari complex, Delhi. Later, he practiced in the Delhi High Court and tribunals in fields as diverse as constitutional law, direct taxation, arbitration, commercial law, company law, land law, environmental law, and medical negligence.
He also served as the Senior Standing Counsel for the Income Tax Department. In 2004, he was appointed as the Standing Counsel (Civil) for the National Capital Territory of Delhi. He appeared and argued in several criminal cases at the Delhi High Court as an Additional Public Prosecutor and as an Amicus Curiae.
Justice Khanna was elevated as an Additional Judge of the Delhi High Court in 2005 and was made a permanent judge in 2006.
During his tenure as judge of the Delhi High Court, he held the position of Chairman/Judge-in-charge of the Delhi Judicial Academy, the Delhi International Arbitration Centre, and the District Court Mediation Centres.
He was elevated to the Supreme Court on January 18, 2019.
Justice Khanna held the post of Chairman of the Supreme Court Legal Service Committee from June 17, 2023 to December 25, 2023.
He is presently the Executive Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) and a member of the Governing Counsel of the National Judicial Academy, Bhopal.