47 years before Justice Sanjiv Khanna took oath as the 51st Chief Justice of India, his family would have got their first CJI in Justice Hans Raj Khanna. During the Emergency imposed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, several agitating citizens, opposition leaders, activists and critics were detained, often without trial. They turned to the courts for justice.

It was then that Justice HR Khanna’s 4:1 dissenting judgment in ADM Jabalpur vs Shivkant Shukla case cost him India’s top legal post. The Indira Gandhi government appointed Justice Beg the Chief Justice of India, superseding Justice Khanna.

But, 41 years after Justice Khanna’s dissenting judgment and 9 years after his death, the ADM Jabalpur verdict was overruled by a 9-judge bench of the Supreme Court. Justice HR Khanna was proven right…

Video Producer: Mayank Chawla
Video Editor/Animation/AI Illustration: Abhishek Sharma