Justice Surya Kant Appointed as 53rd Chief Justice of India
New Delhi: Justice Surya Kant, the second senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, has been appointed as the 53rd Chief Justice of India (CJI). Known for his landmark judgments on Article 370, corruption, gender equality, electoral reforms, and national security, Justice Kant will assume office on November 24 and serve until February 9, 2027, when he attains the age of 65.
The Department of Justice, under the Union Law Ministry, issued the official notification of his appointment on Thursday. The process to appoint him as the successor to incumbent CJI B.R. Gavai began last week, following Justice Gavai’s recommendation of his name on October 27. Justice Kant was elevated to the Supreme Court on May 24, 2019.
Born on February 10, 1962, in Hisar, Haryana, Justice Kant rose from modest beginnings to the country’s highest judicial position. A distinguished student, he secured first-class first in his Master’s degree in Law from Kurukshetra University in 2011. Before his elevation to the apex court, he served as Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court from October 2018 and was widely respected for his clear, progressive judgments in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
During his tenure in the Supreme Court, Justice Kant has been part of several historic and high-impact rulings. He played a key role in upholding the abrogation of Article 370, overseeing cases on free speech, sedition, and citizenship rights. His bench stayed the colonial-era sedition law, ordering that no new FIRs be registered until government review.
In electoral matters, he directed the Election Commission to reveal details of 65 lakh voters excluded from Bihar’s draft electoral rolls, ensuring transparency. Advocating for gender justice, he reinstated a woman sarpanch wrongfully removed from her post and ordered one-third reservation for women in bar associations across the country.
Justice Kant was part of the bench that appointed a five-member committee led by Justice Indu Malhotra to investigate the 2022 security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Punjab, stressing the need for a “judicially trained mind” in such matters. He also upheld the One Rank-One Pension (OROP) scheme, termed it constitutionally valid, and continues to hear petitions by women officers seeking permanent commission in the armed forces.
In another significant ruling, he endorsed the Char Dham project in Uttarakhand, balancing environmental concerns with national security imperatives.
Justice Kant’s bench has also upheld the limits of free speech, cautioning public figures and media personalities. He rebuked podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia for derogatory remarks and stand-up comedians, including Samay Raina, for mocking the disabled, directing the Centre to frame guidelines on online content regulation. He also admonished Madhya Pradesh minister Vijay Shah for comments targeting Col. Sofiya Qureshi, asserting that ministers must speak with restraint and responsibility.
A strong critic of corruption, Justice Kant described it as a “serious societal threat.” In 2023, he ordered a CBI probe into 28 cases exposing collusion between banks and developers defrauding homebuyers. His bench also granted bail to former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in the CBI’s excise policy case, remarking that the agency must work to shed its image of a ‘caged parrot’.
He has also championed workers’ rights, directing the Centre to set up an expert committee for legal protection of domestic workers.
Justice Kant, who has served on over 300 benches, was also part of the seven-judge bench that overruled the 1967 Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) verdict, paving the way to reconsider its minority status. In 2021, he served on the Pegasus spyware case bench, which ruled that national security cannot be used as a blanket shield to block judicial scrutiny.
A jurist of remarkable integrity and vision, Justice Surya Kant’s elevation as the 53rd Chief Justice of India marks the continuation of a reform-oriented, socially conscious judiciary.
