Justice Surya Kant is set to be sworn in on Monday as the 53rd Chief Justice of India (CJI), officially succeeding Justice B.R. Gavai, who retired from office on Sunday evening.
Justice Kant was appointed as the CJI-designate on October 30. He is scheduled to serve a tenure of nearly 15 months and will demit office on February 9, 2027, upon attaining the age of 65.
Journey to the Highest Judicial Post
Born on February 10, 1962, in the Hisar district of Haryana to a middle-class family, Justice Kant’s journey exemplifies a rise from the grassroots.
- He began his career as a small-town practitioner at the Bar before ascending to the country’s highest judicial post.
- He completed his Master’s degree in law from Kurukshetra University in 2011, securing the distinction of “first class first.”
- Before his appointment to the Supreme Court, he served as the Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court from October 5, 2018, and authored several notable judgments while serving at the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Association with Landmark Rulings
During his tenure in the Supreme Court, Justice Kant has been associated with a series of significant constitutional and legal rulings, underscoring his role in shaping contemporary Indian law. Key cases associated with him include:
- Abrogation of Article 370: He was part of the Bench that delivered the verdict on the abrogation of Article 370, which dealt with the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
- Pegasus Spyware Case: He was involved in the proceedings concerning the allegations of illegal surveillance using the Pegasus spyware.
- Bihar Electoral Rolls: He was on the Bench that urged the Election Commission to furnish details regarding the 65 lakh voters who were omitted from Bihar’s draft electoral rolls, a directive issued while hearing petitions challenging the Special Intensive Revision of the voters list.
- Presidential Reference on Bills: He was also part of the Bench that heard the recent presidential reference examining the scope of the Governor’s and President’s powers in dealing with bills cleared by a state legislature. The verdict in this matter is currently awaited and is expected to have significant implications for multiple states and their legislative powers.
As the 53rd CJI, Justice Kant will preside over the Supreme Court during a critical period, making decisions that will continue to shape issues of constitutional law, free speech, and citizenship.