Oct 30, 2024 07:08 PM IST
Inspired by his uncle, Justice HR Khanna, who also served as a Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Sanjiv Khanna chose to pursue law instead.
Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who is set to take oath as the 51st Chief Justice of India on November 11 initially faced parental expectations to become a chartered accountant as they believed a legal career would be challenging.
However, inspired by his uncle, Justice HR Khanna, who also served as a Justice of the Supreme Court, he chose to pursue law instead.
“He always considered his uncle an ideal role model and keenly followed his work. Justice HR Khanna not only polished his own shoes but also those of other family members and used to wash his own clothes as well,” NDTV reported, citing sources.
Sanjiv Khanna has kept all of Justice HR Khanna’s judgments, notes and registers and plans to gift them to the Supreme Court library once he retires.
On his first day as a Supreme Court judge in 2019, he was in the same courtroom where his uncle served. Although a portrait of Justice HR Khanna is displayed there, Sanjiv Khanna has not yet taken a photo in that space, but he intends to do so before his retirement, the report adds.
He is anticipated to complete his tenure on May 13, 2025. Justice Sanjeev Khanna’s mother Saroj Khanna served as a lecturer at Lady Shri Ram College, while his father Devraj Khanna was a lawyer who later became a judge at the Delhi High Court.
Justice HR Khanna served on the bench that issued a unanimous ruling in the landmark “habeas corpus case” of ADM, Jabalpur vs. Shivkant Shukla in 1976.
Following the appointment of Justice MH Beg as the Chief Justice of India by Indira Gandhi’s government in January 1977, Justice HR Khanna resigned from his position.
His resignation is widely regarded as a significant moment in the history of India’s judiciary, underscoring his dedication to judicial independence and the principles of law.
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