Justice Surya Kant has been appointed as the next Chief Justice of India, replacing CJI Justice BR Gavai. Justice Surya Kant, who is currently seeking the post of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, will be sworn in on November 24. Justice Surya Kant will take charge as the 53rd Chief Justice of India after the retirement of Justice Gavai on November 23.
The Ministry of Justice in the Union Ministry of Law issued a notification for his appointment. Justice Surya Kant will be the Chief Justice for almost 15 months. He will relinquish his position on February 9, 2027 after reaching the age of 65.
Law and Justice Minister of India Arjun Ram Meghwal announced the appointment of Justice Surya Kant as the 53rd Chief Justice on X
He said, “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, with effect from November 24, 2025. I extend my heartiest congratulations and best wishes to him.”
Who is Judge Surya Kant?
Justice Surya Kant was born on 10 February 1962 in Haryana’s Hisar to a middle-class family and was elevated to the Supreme Court on 24 May 2019.
Justice Surya Kant graduated from Government Post Graduate College, Hisar in 1981. He received his BA in Law in 1984 from Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak. After completing his bachelor’s degree, Justice Kant started practicing law in Hisar District Court in 1984.
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In 1985, Justice Kant moved to Chandigarh to practice in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He specialized in constitutional, service and civil affairs. He has also represented numerous universities, boards of trustees, corporations, banks as well as the High Court itself.
According to the website of the Supreme Court of India, Justice Surya Kant has earned the distinction of being appointed the youngest Advocate General of Haryana on 7 July 2000.
“Appointed Senior Advocate in March 2001. He held the office of Advocate General, Haryana until his elevation as a Permanent Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on 9 January 2004. On 23 February 2004, he was nominated as a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Legal Services Authority for two consecutive terms2120022002.”
“In 2011, he obtained an additional First Class Honors in Master of Laws from the Directorate of Distance Education, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra. With effect from October 5, 2018, he took charge of the office of the Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court.”
On 24 May 2019, he was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court of India.
Justice Kant was part of the historic bench that kept the colonial-era Sedition Act in abeyance and ordered that no new FIRs be registered under it pending a review by the government.
He also pushed the Election Commission to release details of 65 million disqualified voters in Bihar, showing his commitment to election transparency.
