3 judges who will decide fate of Places of Worship Act, 1991

Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna has constituted a special three-judge bench to hear petitions challenging the validity of the Places of Worship Act (Special Provisions) Act, 1991. Here are brief profiles of judges who will decide the fate of the contentious law.

CJI Sanjiv Khanna

Born on May 14, 1960, Justice Khanna holds a law degree from Campus Law Centre of Delhi University. He got enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Delhi in 1983 and was appointed as an additional judge of the Delhi High Court in 2005. He was made a permanent judge in 2006. Justice Khanna was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court on January 18, 2019. He was sworn in as the 51st Chief Justice of India (CJI) on November 11 this year.

Justice Khanna has been a part of many Constitution Bench verdicts, including the ones upholding the abrogation of Article 370 and the scrapping of electoral bonds scheme. He headed the bench that upheld the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) amid the 2019 Lok Sabha election. A bench led by him had granted interim bail to former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal to enable him campaign in the 2024 Lok Sabha poll.

Justice Sanjay Kumar

Born on August 14, 1963, in Hyderabad, Justice Sanjay Kumar holds BCom and LLB degrees. He started his law practice in August, 1988 and was appointed as an additional judge of Andhra Pradesh High Court on August 8, 2008, and was made a permanent judge on January 20, 2010.

He was sworn in as a judge of Telangana High Court upon its formation on January 1, 2019 and was transferred as judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on October 14, 2019. Before being elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court of India on February 6, 2023, he served as the Chief Justice of the Manipur High Court.

Justice Kumar was part of a seven-judge bench that ruled that MPs and MLAs do not enjoy immunity from prosecution for taking bribes for making speeches or voting in a particular manner in the House.

He was also on the bench that on October 3, 2023 ruled that it is necessary for the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to furnish a copy of grounds of arrest to the arrested person “as a matter of course and without exception” as required under Article 22(1).

Justice KV Viswanathan

Born on May 26, 1966, Justice KV Viswanathan graduated with first rank from Coimbatore Law College, Bharathiar University, in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. He got enrolled as an advocate on the roll of the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu on October 28, 1988, and transferred to the roll of the Bar Council of Delhi. He worked with senior advocate CS Vaidyanathan and former Attorney General KK Venugopal.

He was designated as a ‘senior advocate’ by the Full Court of the Supreme Court on April 28, 2009, and was appointed as an Additional Solicitor General of India on August 26, 2013. He held that position till May, 2014. He was directly elevated from the Bar as a judge of the Supreme Court on May 19, 2023.

Justice Viswanathan was part of the bench that on November 13 declared ‘bulldozer justice’ unconstitutional, saying the right to shelter was a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution. “It is not a happy sight to see women, children and aged persons dragged to streets overnight. Heavens would not fall on the authorities if they held their hands for some period of time,” a bench of Justice BR Gavai and Justice Viswanathan said.