The central government on Thursday, October 24, notified the appointment of Justice Sanjiv Khanna as the next Chief Justice of India. With the Centre’s notification, he has now been officially appointed the 51st CJI. He is set to take over from November 11, following the retirement of the current Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, who recommended his name.

Justice Khanna will take oath on November 11, a day after incumbent CJI Chandrachud demits office on attaining the age of 65. Chandrachud took over as the CJI on November 8, 2022.

Justice Khanna’s tenure will be of a little over six months as CJI. He would retire office on May 13, 2025.

Union Minister of State for Law and Justice, Arjun Ram Meghwal confirmed the union government’s endorsement of Justice Khanna’s appointment through a post on X (formerly Twitter).

“In exercise of the power conferred by the Constitution of India, Hon’ble President, after consultation with Hon’ble Chief Justice of India, is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Judge of the Supreme Court of India as Chief Justice of India with effect from 11th November, 2024,” Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal posted on X. 

In exercise of the power conferred by the Constitution of India, Hon’ble President, after consultation with Hon’ble Chief Justice of India, is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Judge of the Supreme Court of India as Chief Justice of India with effect from 11th…

— Arjun Ram Meghwal (@arjunrammeghwal) October 24, 2024

Justice Sanjiv Khanna is the nephew of former Supreme Court judge Hans Raj Khanna, known for his dissent in the landmark ADM Jabalpur case, Bar and Bench reported.

As a top court judge, he has delivered several key judgments, particularly in past few months. He was also part of the Constitution bench that upheld the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution of India. Justice Khanna was also part of the Constitution bench that struck down the Electoral Bonds scheme under which anonymous donations to political parties were permitted.