Justice Surya Kant Takes Oath as 53rd Chief Justice of India

• Justice Surya Kant succeeds Justice BR Gavai as CJI
• Part of key rulings on sedition law, EC reforms and presidential references
• Former Himachal Pradesh High Court Chief Justice
• Will demit office on February 9, 2027

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 24th Nov: Justice Surya Kant, known for his role in several landmark judicial decisions, took oath on Monday as the 53rd Chief Justice of India. He succeeds Justice BR Gavai and will serve as CJI for nearly 15 months, demitting office on February 9, 2027.

Born on February 10, 1962, in Hisar, Haryana, Justice Kant comes from a middle-class family. He graduated from Government Post Graduate College, Hisar, in 1981 and completed his law degree from Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak, in 1984. He began his legal practice the same year at the Hisar district court before moving to the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 1985. His rise in the legal profession was swift, becoming the youngest Advocate General of Haryana in 2000. He later secured first rank in his master’s degree in law from Kurukshetra University in 2011.

Justice Kant was appointed Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court in 2018 before being elevated to the Supreme Court in 2019. During his tenure in the apex court, he has been part of several important rulings, including the presidential reference on the powers of governors and the president regarding bills passed by state assemblies. He also served on the bench that halted the use of the colonial-era sedition law by directing that no new FIRs be filed until the government completes its review.

He played a crucial role in issues related to electoral transparency, pressing the Election Commission to furnish details about 65 lakh voters excluded from the revised electoral rolls in Bihar. He also led a bench that reinstated a woman sarpanch unlawfully removed, highlighting gender bias, and directed bar associations—including the Supreme Court Bar Association—to reserve one-third of their seats for women.

Justice Kant was part of the bench that formed a committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Indu Malhotra to investigate the security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2022 Punjab visit. He also upheld the constitutionality of the One Rank-One Pension scheme for defence personnel and is currently hearing pleas by women officers seeking parity in permanent commission.

A member of the seven-judge bench that overturned the 1967 Aligarh Muslim University ruling, he helped reopen the question of AMU’s minority status. He also heard the Pegasus spyware case and backed the appointment of a panel of cyber experts, emphasizing that the state cannot escape scrutiny “under the guise of national security.”

Justice Surya Kant’s tenure as CJI is expected to continue his record of judicial reform, institutional transparency and protection of constitutional freedoms.