Justice Sanjiv Khanna on Monday took oath as the 51st Chief Justice of India in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other prominent persons. President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to him at a brief swearing-in ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. His oath-taking ceremony also triggered a political row after Congress leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi skipped the event. The Bharatiya Janata Party slammed the Congress leader, reminding Congress of a ruling made by Justice Sanjiv Khanna's uncle Justice Hans Raj Khanna against a case related to the Emergency in 1976.
Apart from the PM and former CJI Chandrachud, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and former CJI JS Khehar were among the notable faces in attendance.
BJP attacks Rahul Gandhi
BJP National Spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari, on Rahul Gandhi not attending the oath-taking ceremony of the Chief Justice, said the Congress is a party of emergency! Rahul Gandhi likes a committed judiciary not independent judiciary.
"Rahul Gandhi's absence at Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna's swearing in ceremony reflects his "Soch" which is similar to his grandmother Indira Gandhi "Soch": - “Impose emergency, reject independent judiciary and trample Constitution of India," he added.
"The Emergency was imposed by Indira Gandhi, and they want to destroy the Constitution. That is why Rahul Gandhi did not attend the swearing-in of Justice Sanjiv Khanna... Congress prefers a judiciary that listens to the Gandhi family, not the Constitution," he added.
What happened in 1976?
In 1976, when India was undergoing the infamous 'Emergency', a five-judge (including Justice HR Khanna, uncle of current CJI Khanna) Constitution bench gave a ruling in the ADM Jabalpur vs Shivkant Shukla case. The SC bench ruled in the favour of then Indira government, saying the right to personal liberty can be suspended in the interest of the State. In the landmark ruling, Justice Khanna was the sole dissenting judge in that 4:1 verdict. Soon after the ruling, Khanna, who was in line for the Chief Justice of India post in 1977, missed the top legal post after Indira government overlooked his name. The Indira government appointed Justice Beg the Chief Justice of India, superseding Justice Khanna.
Congress extends wishes to CJI Khanna
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also extended his wishes to CJI Khanna and noted the position would entail a great burden on his shoulders owing to extensive scrutiny and expectations.
In a post on X, the Congress chief said, "Extending best wishes to Justice Sanjiv Khanna for taking oath as the 51st Chief Justice of India.
The position of the chief justice of India would undoubtedly place a lot of weight on his shoulders due to the extensive scrutiny and expectations that the office brings with it."
Kharge added, "I am sure with his long and distinguished experience, he will be able to bear the weight of this responsibility and serve the judiciary with distinction."
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