The current Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud will retire on November 10, 2024. Before his retirement, the Chief Justice had written a formal letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the appointment of Justice Sanjeev Khanna as the next Chief Justice of the country. The letter is seen as an important step for the country’s judiciary, heralding future changes in its leadership. In this context, let’s find out what makes the country’s new chief justice special.
Study law at Delhi University
Justice Sanjeev Khanna was born on May 14, 1960. After completing his schooling, he thought of pursuing a career in the legal field. He was admitted to Delhi University to study law. He studied at DU Campus Law Center and was registered as an advocate with the Delhi Bar Council in 1983. Early in his career, he practiced at Tis Hazari Court. Thereafter, he practiced law in the Delhi High Court for many years. Due to his unparalleled legal knowledge and experience, he was elevated to the Supreme Court on January 18, 2019.
Prior to this, Justice Khanna also served as Senior Standing Counsel, Income Tax Department. Early in his career, he also handled numerous tax-related cases. Not only this, he has also served as Additional Public Prosecutor and is often appointed as amicus curiae in criminal cases before the Delhi High Court. Amicus curiae helps the court make decisions based on the law. Talking about his judicial career after practicing law, we have to start with his appointment as an Additional Judge of the Delhi High Court on June 24, 2005. Thereafter, on February 20, 2006, he was appointed as a permanent judge here.
Justice Sanjeev Khanna delivers important decision on VVPAT
In 2024, a division bench headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna dismissed the Association for Democratic Reforms’ (ADR) petition seeking 100 per cent verification of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) records through electronic voting machines (EVMs). ask. was made. Justice Khanna defended the security measures implemented by the Election Commission of India (ECI), saying the system in place ensures fast, error-free and secure counting of votes, thereby protecting the integrity of India’s electoral process.
Justice Sanjeev Khanna’s important decision on electoral bonds
In a landmark judgment in 2024, Justice Sanjiv Khanna joined a five-judge bench to declare the electoral bonds scheme unconstitutional. The purpose of the scheme is to provide funds to political parties, with donors keeping their identities confidential. Justice Khanna agreed with the decision, holding that the donor’s confidentiality claim could not be sustained for donations made through banking channels. He said the identities of the donors were not kept secret as bank officials conducting the electoral bond transactions already knew them. He therefore made it clear that the argument regarding donor secrecy was unacceptable in this case and the scheme could not be considered under the Constitution.
Delete Article 370
Justice Sanjiv Khanna delivered a landmark judgment in 2023 in which a five-judge bench upheld the abrogation of Article 370. Article 370 confers special status to Jammu and Kashmir, which affects the political and constitutional status of the state.
Through this decision, it is made clear that the central government’s decision to abrogate Article 370 is constitutional and valid. The decision ended Jammu and Kashmir’s special rights and gave the state equal rights with other states in the Indian Union. This important role of Justice Khanna added a new chapter to the politics and constitution of the country.
Important decisions about divorce
In the 2023 case of Shilpa Saish v. Varun Srinivasan, Justice Sanjiv Khanna confirmed the power of the Supreme Court to directly grant divorce under Article 142 of the Constitution. He said that if a marriage has completely broken down and there is no reconciliation between the two people, then the court can dissolve the marriage in the interests of “complete justice”. The decision is seen as an important step forward for divorce laws in India.
