Chief Justice of India, Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who demitted office on Tuesday, made it clear that he would not accept any post-retirement position offered by the government — a statement underscoring the institutional integrity he has come to be known for.

Speaking informally to a group of journalists on his final day in office, CJI Khanna said, “I will not take any post-retirement government assignment. I may do something related to law.”

Advertisement

Justice Khanna also briefly spoke about the controversy involving Justice Yashwant Varma, in whose official residence unaccounted cash was allegedly discovered after a fire broke out on March 14, 2025.

Responding to queries, he said, “Judicial thinking has to be decisive and adjudicatory… we see the plus and minus and decide them rationally. The future tells you whether what you did was correct.”

CJI Khanna, as per the in-house procedure, had forwarded the report of the three-member inquiry committee — which indicted Justice Varma — to the President and the Prime Minister of India, along with Justice Varma’s response.

The outgoing Chief Justice was given a warm ceremonial farewell in Court No. 1, where Justice BR Gavai — the Chief Justice-designate — and Justice PV Sanjay Kumar sat with him on the bench. Senior members of the Bar and the Bench paid rich tributes to CJI Khanna’s jurisprudential legacy, judicial discipline, and moral clarity.

Justice Gavai described Justice Khanna as a “gentleman to the core”, noting that his decisions were “marked by clarity, deep reasoning, and unwavering sensitivity to human rights.”

He further said, “The decision to upload assets and liabilities of judges is a reflection of his commitment to transparency. His calm demeanour, clarity of thought, and humility have made a lasting mark.”

The Attorney General for India R. Venkataramani lauded Justice Khanna for “lucid and balanced” judgments that spoke directly to both the law and the people.

The Solicitor General Tushar Mehta invoked the memory of Justice H.R. Khanna — the outgoing CJI’s uncle — stating, “Justice H.R. Khanna would have been proud of his nephew.”

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, President of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), called CJI Khanna “a judge who set standards.”

“You are that rare streak in the sky that comes once in a while. You symbolise what is best in the judiciary — courage, humility, inclusiveness, and integrity. You insisted juniors must argue, you grasped arguments quickly, and never shied from transparency”, Sibal said.

Born on May 14, 1960, CJI Khanna comes from a family steeped in legal and nationalist tradition. His father, Dev Raj Khanna, was a judge of the Delhi High Court, while his mother Saroj Khanna was a professor at Lady Shri Ram College. His uncle, Justice H.R. Khanna, famously dissented during the Emergency to uphold fundamental liberties — a decision etched in India’s democratic memory.

Justice Khanna studied law at the Campus Law Centre, Delhi University, and was enrolled with the Bar Council of Delhi in 1983. He began practice in the district courts before moving to the Delhi High Court, where he specialised in constitutional, commercial and taxation matters.

Elevated as a judge of the Delhi High Court in 2005, he was made permanent judge the following year and went on to be appointed to the Supreme Court on January 18, 2019.

As he exits the court without seeking post-retirement office, in line with the spirit upheld by his uncle, Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna leaves behind a legacy built on the pillars of judicial restraint, institutional rectitude, and uncompromising integrity.