New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress ‘ Rahul Gandhi remained absent from the swearing-in ceremony of Justice Sanjiv Khanna as the 51st Chief Justice of India. President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to him at a brief swearing-in ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Justice Khanna took the oath in English in the name of god.

Born on May 14, 1960, Justice Khanna will serve as the CJI for a little over six months and demit office on May 13, 2025, on attaining the age of 65 years.

He succeeds Justice D Y Chandrachud, who demitted office on Sunday.

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi , Defence Minister Rajnath Singh , Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and former CJI J S Khehar were among those present on the occasion, besides Justice Chandrachud.

Justice Khanna, who served as a Supreme Court judge since January 2019, has been part of several landmark judgments such as upholding the sanctity of EVMs, scrapping the electoral bonds scheme, upholding the abrogation of Article 370 and the granting of interim bail to former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal .

Hailing from an illustrious Delhi-based family, Justice Khanna is the son of former Delhi High Court judge Justice Dev Raj Khanna and the nephew of prominent former apex court judge H R Khanna.

Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court on January 18, 2019, was a third-generation lawyer before being appointed as a judge of the high court. He is driven by the zeal to reduce pendency and speed up justice delivery.