NEW DELHI: More than 47 years after the controversial supersession of Justice HR Khanna, his nephew, Justice Sanjiv Khanna, will be sworn in as the 51st Chief Justice of India on Monday.
President Droupadi Murmu would administer the oath of office at Rashtrapati Bhavan at 10 am. Justice Sanjiv Khanna will replace retiring Chief Justice DY Chandrachud.
Justice Khanna was appointed as a judge to the Supreme Court on January 18, 2019, and will be serving as the CJI for six months. He retires on May 13, 2025. The government finally notified his appointment as the next CJI on October 24, following a recommendation by Justice Chandrachud on October 16.
During his tenure, Justice Khanna may likely focus on bringing down the pendency of cases and pacing up the delivery system of justice. The pendency of cases has been a long-standing and important focus over the last few years, and it is hoped that Justice Khanna will consolidate further improvements in this regard.
Traditionally, the convention of the CJI suggests his successor has been the most senior judge in the Supreme Court. This happens only twice in the last century. Justice AN Ray was appointed as the 14th CJI in 1973 and three senior-most judges were superseded. The same deviation was witnessed in 1977 when Justice MH Beg was appointed as the 15th CJI while superseding Justice HR Khanna.
One of the most poignant moments in Indian judicial history was when Justice HR Khanna dissented from the ADM Jabalpur case strongly when, during the Emergency of 1976, suspension of fundamental rights was the issue at hand, and was denied the CJI position by Indira Gandhi government.
ALSO READ:
ALSO WATCH: