Supreme Court judge Justice Sanjiv Khanna has been nominated as the Executive Chairperson of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA).
The decision was taken by President Droupadi Murmu in consultation with Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud.
The post of Executive Chairman of NALSA, according to convention, is occupied by the second senior-most judge of the Supreme Court.
As per the Legal Services Authority Act 1987, the CJI is NALSA’s Patron-in-Chief. The President of India, in collaboration with the Chief Justice of India, appoints an active or retired Supreme Court judge as the Executive Chairman of NALSA.
The position was earlier held by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, who retired on December 25.
Born on May 14, 1960, Justice Khanna studied law at the Campus Law Centre, Delhi University. In 1983, he enrolled in the Bar Council of Delhi.
As an Advocate, he practised taxation, arbitration, commercial law, environmental law, medical negligence law and company law in the Delhi High Court.
He represented the Delhi Government as an Additional Public Prosecutor in criminal law matters and was also a Senior Standing Counsel for the Income Tax Department of Delhi for about seven years.
Justice Khanna was appointed as Delhi’s Standing Counsel for civil law matters at the Delhi High Court in 2004.
He was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Delhi High Court on June 24, 2005 and became a permanent judge on February 20, 2006.
As Delhi High Court judge, Justice Khanna was associated with 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.
He is expected to become the 51st CJI on the basis of seniority in November 2024.