Who Is Justice Surya Kant? New Chief Justice Of India To Take Charge On Nov. 24

Justice Surya Kant will take oath as the 53rd Chief Justice of India (CJI) on Nov. 24, succeeding Chief Justice BR Gavai, who retires a day earlier.

President Droupadi Murmu has signed the warrant for the appointment of Justice Surya Kant following CJI Gavai’s recommendation to the Union Government, as per a Press Information Bureau release dated Oct. 30. Justice Surya Kant, currently the second senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, will serve in the top judicial post until his retirement on Feb. 9, 2027.

Born on Feb. 10, 1962, in Hisar, Haryana, Justice Surya Kant hails from a middle-class family. According to an NDTV report, his older brother, Rishi Kant, shared their father was a Sanskrit teacher in undivided Punjab. The youngest of four brothers, Justice Surya Kant was an academically inclined student from an early age and showed little interest in sports. Rishi Kant also recalled his brother’s creative side, mentioning that during his college years, one of his poems titled Mendh Par Mitti Chadha Do had become quite popular.

Justice Surya Kant graduated from Government Post Graduate College, Hisar, in 1981, and went on to earn a law degree from Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak, in 1984. The same year, he began practising law at the Hisar District Court before moving to Chandigarh in 1985 to practice at the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Over the years, Justice Kant built a formidable reputation in constitutional, service and civil law. He has represented several universities, corporations and government bodies, including the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Owing to his strong legal acumen and commitment to public service, he was appointed as the youngest Advocate General of Haryana on July 7, 2000. In March 2001, he was designated a senior advocate, a distinction that highlighted his growing stature in the legal fraternity.

Justice Kant was elevated as a permanent judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Jan. 9, 2004. He later served two consecutive terms as a member of the Governing Body of the National Legal Services Authority between 2007 and 2011. He also played an active role in the Indian Law Institute, contributing to several of its committees under the aegis of the Supreme Court of India.

In 2011, Justice Kant added another academic feather to his cap by securing a First Class First in his Master’s degree in Law from Kurukshetra University through distance education. Known for his keen interest in judicial reforms and access to justice, he has participated in many national and international legal conferences.

He assumed charge as Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court on Oct. 5, 2018, before being elevated to the Supreme Court of India on May 24, 2019. Since November 2024, he has also served as chairman of the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee.