Justice Surya Kant officially assumed office as the 53rd Chief Justice of India after taking oath at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday, November 24. President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath in Hindi, marking the beginning of his tenure, which will continue until 9 February 2027.
The ceremony witnessed the presence of key leaders from the judiciary, government and political sphere. Among those in attendance were Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Vice President CP Radhakrishnan, former Chief Justice BR Gavai, former President Ram Nath Kovind and several Union Ministers.
Justice Kant’s appointment marks the conclusion of a leadership transition within the Supreme Court and places him at the forefront of key judicial and administrative decisions expected to shape the institution in the coming years.
Born on 10 February 1962 in Petwar village of Hisar district in Haryana, Justice Kant completed his Law degree from Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak, in 1984 and began practising the same year at the Hisar District Court. He shifted to the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 1985, where he handled Constitutional, Civil and Service-related matters.
On 7 July 2000, he became the youngest Advocate General of Haryana and was designated as Senior Advocate. His judicial journey formally began with his appointment as a permanent judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on 9 January 2004. He served on the Governing Body of the National Legal Services Authority between 2007 and 2011 and earned a First Class First Master’s degree in Law in 2011.
Justice Kant was appointed Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court on 5 October 2018 before being elevated to the Supreme Court on 24 May 2019. Since 14 May, he has served as Executive Chairman of NALSA and continues to work with various committees under the Indian Law Institute.
His leadership is expected to shape key judicial reforms, with legal experts viewing his tenure as a significant phase for the Supreme Court and India’s justice delivery framework.
