Justice Surya Kant takes oath as 53rd CJI, to serve till February 2027

Justice Surya Kant was recommended for the position by outgoing chief justice of India Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai, whose term ended on November 23

Justice Surya Kant took the oath as the 53rd Chief Justice of India (CJI) on Monday. Justice Kant was recommended for the position by outgoing chief justice of India Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai, whose term ended on November 23.

 

Last month, the Law and Justice Ministry had asked Justice Gavai to suggest a name for the next Chief Justice. According to the existing set of rules for appointing judges, the senior-most Supreme Court judge who is fit for the position is recommended as the next CJI. In line with the rules, Kant, who was the senior-most judge after Justice Gavai, was recommended.

 

Kant is expected to serve as the Chief Justice of India until February 9, 2027.

 

Several key personalities, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri, and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, were in attendance.

Who is Justice Surya Kant?

Justice Surya Kant was born on February 10, 1962, in Hisar, Haryana, into a middle-class family. He completed his graduation from Government Post Graduate College, Hisar, in 1981, and earned his law degree in 1984 from Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak.

 

He began his legal career the same year at the District Court in Hisar, and a year later, in 1985, moved to Chandigarh to practice at the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Over the years, he built a strong reputation in constitutional, service, and civil law and represented several universities, boards, corporations, banks, and even the High Court.

 

On July 7, 2000, he became the youngest Advocate General of Haryana. The following year, in March 2001, he was designated a Senior Advocate. He held the post of Advocate General until January 9, 2004, when he was elevated as a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

 

He became the Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court on October 5, 2018, and was later elevated to the Supreme Court of India on May 24, 2019. Currently, he also serves as the Chairman of the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee (since November 12, 2024).