Justice Surya Kant is set to take over as the 53rd Chief Justice of India (CJI) after Chief Justice BR Gavai formally recommended his name. He will assume office on November 24, 2025, and serve until February 9, 2027, giving him one of the longer CJI tenures in recent years.
Justice Kant was born on February 10, 1962, in Petwar village of Hisar, Haryana. Hard work, academic discipline, and a steady climb through the legal system are all evident in his journey from a middle-class home to the nation's top judicial chair. He completed his early education in Hisar, graduated in 1981 and earned his law degree from Maharishi Dayanand University in 1984, later securing a Master of Laws degree, with first-class honours from Kurukshetra University.
He began his legal practice at the Hisar district court in 1984 before moving to the Punjab and Haryana High Court a year later. His reputation grew quickly and in 2000, at just 38, he became the youngest Advocate General of Haryana. He was designated a Senior Advocate in 2001.
Long judicial career marked by reform-focused decisions
Justice Kant was elevated as a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2004, later taking oath as Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court in 2018. In May 2019, he entered the Supreme Court after a collegium led by then CJI Ranjan Gogoi recommended his elevation.
Known for his stands on human dignity, gender rights and prison reforms, Justice Kant is widely remembered for the Jasvir Singh judgment, which pushed Punjab to frame a policy on conjugal and family visits for inmates. He has also been part of several key Supreme Court verdicts, including the one that upheld the revocation of Article 370.
Justice Kant has given more than a thousand verdicts and has often spoken about making justice accessible to the ordinary people. He has served two terms in the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) and is currently Chairman of the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee.
When he takes oath as CJI, Justice Kant will become the first Chief Justice of India from Haryana. His tenure is expected to focus on systemic reform and smoother access to justice for underrepresented sections.
