The North News
New Delhi, November 24
Justice Surya Kant was sworn in on Monday as the 53rd Chief Justice of India. The oath was administered by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, in a ceremony attended by senior judges, ministers and officials. Kant succeeds Justice B.R. Gavai, who demitted office on Sunday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was present at the ceremony, later wrote on X that he had attended the swearing-in and extended his “best wishes” to the new Chief Justice for his term ahead. Former Chief Justice B. R. Gavai, had recommended Justice Surya Kant—the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court—for appointment as his successor. Justice Surya Kant, born on 10 February 1962 in Hisar, Haryana, comes from a middle-class family. He graduated from Government Post Graduate College, Hisar, in 1981 and obtained his law degree from Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak, in 1984.
He began his legal career the same year at the District Court in Hisar before moving to Chandigarh in 1985 to practice at the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Over the years, he specialised in constitutional, service and civil matters, representing universities, corporations, banks and even the High Court itself.
In July 2000, he became the youngest Advocate General of Haryana and was designated as Senior Advocate the following year. He was elevated as a permanent judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in January 2004. Justice Surya Kant also served two terms as a member of the National Legal Services Authority governing body and has been associated with several committees of the Indian Law Institute. In 2011, he secured a first-class first position in his Master’s degree in Law from Kurukshetra University.
He took charge as Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court in October 2018 and was elevated to the Supreme Court in May 2019. In November 2024, he became Chairman of the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee. Justice Surya Kant is due to retire on February 9, 2027.
