Centre Announces Justice Khanna's Appointment as Next Chief Justice of India, Oath on November 11

President Droupadi Murmu, on October 24, 2024, appointed Justice Sanjiv Khanna as the 51st Chief Justice of India (CJI).

Justice Khanna will assume the position of CJI following the retirement of the current CJI, DY Chandrachud, on 10 November 2024. In line with tradition, CJI Chandrachud had previously recommended Justice Khanna, the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, for the role of the next CJI.

“In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Judge of the Supreme Court, to be the Chief Justice of India with effect from 11th November 2024.” the notification from the Ministry of Law & Justice stated.

Justice Khanna will take office as the 51st Chief Justice of India on November 11, 2024 and will serve for nearly seven months until his retirement on May 13, 2025. 

Justice Khanna enrolled with the Bar Council of Delhi in 1983; he initially practiced in the District Courts at the Tis Hazari complex and later in the Delhi High Court and various tribunals. His areas of practice included constitutional law, direct taxation, arbitration, commercial law, company law, land law, environmental law, and medical negligence. He also served as Senior Standing Counsel for the Income Tax Department and, in 2004, was appointed Standing Counsel (Civil) for the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Additionally, he handled criminal cases as an Additional Public Prosecutor and appeared as an amicus curiae in the Delhi High Court.

In 2005, he was elevated as an additional judge of the Delhi High Court and became a permanent judge in 2006. While serving at the Delhi High Court, he chaired the Delhi Judicial Academy, the Delhi International Arbitration Centre, and the District Court Mediation Centres.

On January 18, 2019, he was elevated to the Supreme Court of India. He served as Chairman of the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee from 17 June 2023 to 25 December 2023. He currently holds the position of Executive Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority and is a member of the Governing Council of the National Judicial Academy in Bhopal.

Notice from Ministry of Law & Justice