Chief Justice Of India

Places of Worship Act hearing: SC says no surveys until case concludes

Places of Worship Act case: Supreme Court has given the central government four weeks to file its reply to the various pleas

SC refuses to entertain plea challenging results of CLAT-PG 2025 exams

The Supreme Court refused to entertain on Monday a plea challenging the results of the CLAT-PG 2025 examination. A bench of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar, which was hearing the plea that contested the provisional answer key released for the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) for postgraduate admissions, advised the petitioners to move the Delhi High Court with their grievances. The bench, while refusing to entertain the plea, underscored the top court cannot act as the court of first instance in such matters and flagged concerns about delays in the release of examination results due to interventions by the apex court. "We cannot be the court of first instance... We have on enough occasions said this. We have judgments where delays in results due to OMR sheet issues stretched up to eight years. Please go to the high court," the chief justice of India said. The bench, however, granted the petitioners liberty to approach the high court, stating, "We are not inclin

SC to hear matter related to effect of stay orders on trials' pace on Dec 9

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a suo motu matter related to adverse effect of stay orders granted by the appellate courts on the pace of trials. As per the cause list of December 9 uploaded on the apex court website, a bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar is slated to hear a matter titled "In Re: Adverse effect of stay orders granted by appellate courts on the pace of trials, despite parameters for grant of such stays, laid down by this court". The apex court, while dealing with a petition filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in November 2021, had flagged the issue of stay orders granted by the appellate courts and the pace of trial getting adversely affected. "The second aspect with which we find ourselves concerned is the stay orders granted by the appellate courts and thus the pace of trial getting adversely affected, despite this Court having laid down parameters for grant of such stays," the top court had said in

CJI Sanjiv Khanna recuses from hearing pleas on poll body chief appointment

'List the matter before a bench of which I am not a part of,' said Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna on Tuesday

CJI backs advance letters for case withdrawals to streamline proceedings

Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna on Wednesday emphasised the importance of preemptive communication in court processes and suggested that lawyers submit advance letters for case withdrawals rather than relying on oral submissions during hearings. The CJI has been taking several procedural steps to streamline the judicial process in the top court. On November 12, he said no oral submissions for urgent listing and hearing of cases would be permitted and urged lawyers to either send emails or written letters for it. On Wednesday, the CJI suggested lawyers file advance letters for case withdrawals rather than making oral submissions while hearing a transfer petition in a family dispute case. The counsel in the case informed the bench that the parties had resolved their differences and wished to withdraw the transfer petition. Granting the withdrawal, the CJI remarked that advance notice would enhance court efficiency. "If you have any such requests, you can always give a letter to

Constitution played a key role in country's transformation: CJI Khanna

Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna on Tuesday said India has emerged as a vibrant democracy and a geopolitical leader, and the Constitution of the country has helped in this transformation. India has had a transformative journey from a nation, which under the aftermath and horrors of partition saw widespread illiteracy, poverty, lack of robust democratic system of checks and balances, to one which has now become a self-assured leader, the CJI said. "But at the back of it is the Constitution of India, which has helped this transformation. It is today a way of life that has to be lived up to," Justice Khanna said, while speaking at the Constitution Day function organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) at the apex court. Since 2015, November 26 is observed as Constitution Day to commemorate the adoption of the Constitution of India by the Constituent Assembly in 1949. Earlier, the day was observed as Law Day. Attorney General R Venkataramani, SCBA president and senior

SC advocate urges CJI to initiate probe into Jhansi medical college fire

Supreme Court advocate Amit Dwivedi has written to the chief justice of India, seeking a time-bound inquiry into a blaze in the neonatal intensive care unit of a medical college in Uttar Pradesh that killed 17 infants. In the letter to Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna on Sunday, Dwivedi -- who hails from the Bundelkhand region -- sought the constitution of a panel headed by a retired Supreme Court judge "to conduct a time-bound inquiry into the fire incident in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) of the government-run hospital which resulted in the deaths of 15 infants". Thirty-nine newborns were rescued from a devastating fire in the neonatal intensive care unit of Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College in Jhansi on the night of November 15. While 10 babies died on the night of the fire, seven more succumbed later. The letter highlighted reports of severe negligence, including the alleged absence of functioning fire extinguishers in the ward. Dwivedi emphasised that ...

CJI urges judges to allow virtual hearings due to rising pollution in Delhi

Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna on Tuesday said all judges have been asked to allow virtual hearings wherever possible in view of the severe pollution levels in the national capital region. As soon as the bench comprising the CJI and Justice Sanjay Kumar assembled, lawyers, including Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Kapil Sibal, referred to the worsening pollution in Delhi and NCR and sought immediate measures to deal with it. We have told all the judges to allow virtual hearings wherever possible, the CJI said. Pollution is getting out of control, Sibal said. He was supported by various lawyers that also included Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and Gopal Sankaranarayanan It needs to go down. The message should go to other courts, Sibal added. The solicitor general said the top court, as a matter of principle, should go virtual. We have given the message to accommodate everybody. Moreover, online is anyway available," the CJI said. On Monday, the top court took note of

CJI expresses concern over 'exodus of young talent' from legal practice

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna has expressed concern over the "exodus of young talent" from litigation practice and said there is a need to ensure their financial and social security. Speaking at the "Felicitation Function" organised by the Bar Council of India, Khanna said there is a need to create a minimum remuneration standard for young advocates in the first few years of their career. "The exodus of young talent from litigation practice is not merely about personal choice rather it is symptomatic of the structural issues, such as meagre financial and social security in the profession, especially for the first-generation lawyers. "To attract the community of young lawyers dedicated to serving the public, we must work towards making the profession a more conducive space, address entry-level barriers and promote support," the CJI said. Khanna said a concerning trend is being witnessed where bright young legal minds are increasingly gravitating towards corporate law fi

CJI Khanna brings fresh roster on case allocation, first 3 benches for PILs

Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna has come out with a fresh roster for allocation of new cases to 16 benches and it has been decided that the first three courts presided over by the CJI and the two senior-most judges respectively will hear letter petitions and PILs. The roster for the assignment of fresh cases was notified by the apex court registry under the order of the CJI and has come into effect from November 11. The fresh petitions arising out of letters written by the citizens to the apex court and the new public interest litigations (PILs) will be heard by the benches presided over by the CJI, Justice B R Gavai and Justice Surya Kant, the two senior-most judges, respectively. Besides the letter petitions and the PILs, subject wise, the CJI-led bench will be dealing with a maximum number of issues, including those related to social justice, disputes related to election of President, Vice President and other cases related to election of MPs and MLAS, habeas corpus matters and ...

Justice Sanjiv Khanna takes oath as India's 51st Chief Justice today

Justice Sanjiv Khanna has sworn in as India's 51st Chief Justice by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday, following Justice DY Chandrachud's retirement at age 65

SC overturns AMU judgement, CJI's last day in office, BS BFSI Summit, and more

Judiciary's independence doesn't mean delivering verdicts against govt: CJI

Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud on Monday said the independence of the judiciary does not mean always delivering verdicts against the government. Speaking at an event here organised by the Indian Express group, Chandrachud said there are pressure groups trying to get favourable verdicts by putting pressure on the courts by using electronic media. "Traditionally, judicial independence was defined as independence from the executive. Independence of the judiciary even now means independence from the government. But that is not the only thing in terms of judicial independence. "Our society has changed. Particularly with the advent of social media, you see interest groups, pressure groups and groups which are trying to use electronic media to put pressure on the courts to get favourable decisions," he said. Chandrachud, who demits office on November 10, said a lot of these pressure groups term the judiciary independent if judges decide in their favour. "'If you do not decide in my favour

No forward movement on 4 names reiterated by Collegium headed by CJI

There has been no forward movement on the names reiterated by the Supreme Court Collegium headed by Justice D Y Chandrachud for appointment as high court judges as he demits office as the chief justice of India on November 10. The collegium had in January 2023 reiterated the names of advocates Saurabh Kirpal for elevation as a judge of the Delhi High Court, R John Satyan as judge of the Madras HC, and Amitesh Banerjee and Sakya Sen as judges of the Calcutta High Court. The top court collegium had also reiterated the name of Somasekhar Sundaresan, also an advocate, as judge of the Bombay High Court in January 2023. In November that year, he was elevated as a judge of the Bombay HC. People aware of the procedure to appoint high court and Supreme Court judges said the files relating to Kirpal, Satyan, Banerjee and Sen are still pending with the government. In Januaary 2023, the Supreme Court collegium had for the second time reiterated the names of Banerjee and Sen for appointment as

Justice Sanjiv Khanna is new Chief Justice of India, to take oath on Nov 11

Justice Sanjiv Khanna was on Thursday appointed the 51st Chief Justice of India. He will take oath on November 11, a day after incumbent Justice D Y Chandrachud demits office on attaining the age of 65. Justice Chandrachud took over as the CJI on November 8, 2022. Justice Khanna will have a tenure of a little over six months as CJI and would demit office on May 13, 2025. "In exercise of the power conferred by the Constitution of India, Hon'ble President, after consultation with Hon'ble Chief Justice of India, is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Judge of the Supreme Court of India as Chief Justice of India with effect from 11th November, 2024," Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal posted on X.

SC curtails Centre's authority on industrial alcohol; overturns 1990 ruling

Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, writing for himself and seven other judges, declared that the central government does not possess regulatory authority over industrial alcohol

SC defers hearing on pleas for criminalising marital rape by 4 weeks

Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, who is demitting office on November 10, Wednesday deferred by four weeks hearing on pleas challenging the immunity granted to husbands in cases of marital rape. At the outset, a bench comprising the CJI and justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, which commenced final hearing on October 17 on the pleas, asked lawyers about the time they would be needing individually to argue. Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for a party, said he will take at least a day to complete his submissions as he did not want to stifle the elaborate pleadings needed to be advanced in an important matter like this. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, senior advocates Rakesh Dwivedi, who represents Maharashtra, and Indira Jaising, representing a woman, also said they would need a day each to argue. The apex court, which is closing for Diwali vacation on October 26, reopens on November 4 and the CJI will be effectively left with five working d

Child marriage prevention cannot be undermined by personal laws: SC

Authorities should focus on preventing child marriages and protecting vulnerable minors, with penalising offenders being a last resort: Supreme Court

Ayurveda's critical elements not just confined to India: CJI DY Chandrachud

After Prime Minister's efforts, Ayurveda's credibility has also increased, and I am deeply grateful to him for entrusting me with the Ministry of Ayurveda to serve millions

Next Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna to have six-month tenure

He was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Delhi High Court on June 25, 2005 and became a permanent judge on 20 February 2006