Justice Surya Kant: First Haryana-Born Judge Set to Become 53rd Chief Justice of India

Justice Surya Kant is preparing to assume office as the 53rd Chief Justice of India on November 24, following his nomination by the current Chief Justice BR Gavai.

Chief Justice Gavai has officially designated Justice Kant, the second most senior judge serving on the Supreme Court, as his successor. The nomination has been forwarded to the Union Law Ministry, adhering to the established convention of appointing the most senior Supreme Court judge to the highest judicial position in the country.

Upon taking his oath, Justice Kant will make history as the first Chief Justice originating from Haryana. He will succeed Chief Justice Gavai, who concludes his service on November 23, and will hold office until February 9, 2027.

Born on February 10, 1962, in Petwar, Hisar district of Haryana, Justice Kant completed his undergraduate education at Government Post Graduate College in Hisar. He earned his Bachelor's degree in Law from Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak, in 1984, followed by a Master's degree in Law from Kurukshetra University in 2011.

Justice Kant embarked on his legal journey at the District Court in Hisar in 1984, transitioning to Chandigarh the following year to practice at the Punjab and Haryana High Court. On July 7, 2000, he was appointed Advocate General of Haryana, becoming the youngest individual to hold this prestigious position. By March 2001, he had been designated as a Senior Advocate.

His judicial career advanced significantly when he was elevated to the position of judge at the Punjab and Haryana High Court on January 9, 2004. Justice Kant subsequently served as a Member of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) from 2007 to 2011 and participated in various committees of the Indian Law Institute.

On October 5, 2018, he was appointed Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, and later elevated to the Supreme Court of India on May 24, 2019.

Justice Kant was a member of the Supreme Court bench that presided over the significant Arvind Kejriwal v CBI (2024) case concerning the Delhi Excise Policy. While the bench granted bail to the former Delhi Chief Minister, Justice Kant maintained that Kejriwal's arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation was lawful and followed proper procedures, differing from the perspective of his colleague Justice Ujjal Bhuyan.