Justice Surya Kant has been officially
appointed as the 53rd Supreme Court of India Chief Justice of India (CJI),
with the appointment becoming effective from 24 November 2025. The
notification released by the Ministry of Law and Justice states:
“In exercise of the powers conferred by the
Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Surya
Kant, Judge of the Supreme Court of India as the Chief Justice of India with
effect from 24th November, 2025.”
This appointment follows the retirement of the incumbent CJI Justice Bhushan
Ramkrishna Gavai, who will demit office on 23 November 2025.
The
Convention and Process Behind the Appointment
Under the conventions of India’s judiciary,
the outgoing Chief Justice typically recommends the senior-most Supreme Court
judge as their successor. In this case, Justice Gavai recommended Justice Surya
Kant to the Government of India on 27 October 2025, paving the way for the
formal appointment. The Government’s notification then issued the official
warrant of appointment, signed by Droupadi Murmu in her capacity as President
of India.
Profile of
Justice Surya Kant
Justice Surya Kant was born on 10 February
1962 in Petwar village, Hisar district, Haryana. He graduated from Government
Post Graduate College, Hisar in 1981 and obtained his LL.B. from Maharishi
Dayanand University, Rohtak in 1984. He started his legal practice at the
District Court in Hisar in 1984 and in 1985 moved to the Punjab & Haryana
High Court in Chandigarh to practise constitutional, service and civil law
matters. His career highlights include:
Appointment as Advocate General of Haryana on
7 July 2000, at a relatively young age.
Designation as Senior Advocate in March 2001.
Elevation as a permanent judge to the Punjab
& Haryana High Court on 9 January 2004.
Appointment as Chief Justice of the Himachal
Pradesh High Court with effect from 5 October 2018.
Elevated to the Supreme Court of India on 24
May 2019.
Tenure and
Challenges Ahead
Justice Surya Kant will assume office as CJI
on 24 November 2025 and serve until his retirement on 9 February 2027. That
gives him a tenure of approximately 15 months as Chief Justice. His assumption of office comes at a time when
the judiciary is facing significant workloads and backlog of cases, meaning his
leadership will be closely watched for reforms and efficiency measures.
Significance
of the Appointment
This appointment is significant in several
ways:
It underscores the continuity of the seniority
convention within the Indian judiciary.
It places a jurist with extensive experience
in constitutional and service law matters at the helm of the Supreme Court.
With the judiciary grappling with increasing
caseloads, the tenure of Justice Kant will be critical for steering
administrative as well as jurisprudential initiatives.
His background from
modest village roots to Supreme Court also carries symbolic importance for access
and representation in the judiciary.
Looking
Forward: What to Expect
As CJI, Justice Surya Kant may set priorities
around reducing pendency, enhancing legal aid access (given his past roles in
legal services bodies), and reinforcing the institutional strength of the
judiciary. Observers will look for signals on whether his tenure will bring new
administrative reforms, digitisation efforts, or innovation in court processes.
Moreover, given his judgments in high-impact cases, his jurisprudential
approach will matter for rights, transparency and governance in India.
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