Justice Surya Kant Appointed as 53rd Chief Justice of India

New Delhi, Oct 2025 : The Central government on Thursday approved the appointment of Supreme Court judge Justice Surya Kant as the next Chief Justice of India (CJI).

“In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Surya Kant, Judge of the Supreme Court of India, to be the Chief Justice of India with effect from November 24, 2025,” read the official notification issued by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice.

Justice Surya Kant will succeed Chief Justice Bhushan R. Gavai, who is set to retire on November 23 upon attaining the age of 65 years. Justice Gavai had earlier recommended Justice Kant as his successor, in keeping with the well-established convention of appointing the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court as the next Chief Justice of India.

Justice Kant will become the 53rd Chief Justice of India and is expected to serve a 14-month tenure, demitting office on February 9, 2027.

Born on February 10, 1962, into a middle-class family in Haryana, Justice Surya Kant completed his graduation from Government Post Graduate College, Hisar, in 1981, and obtained his law degree from Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak, in 1984.

He began his legal practice in Hisar in 1984 and moved to Chandigarh the following year to practise before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, where he handled a wide range of constitutional, civil, and service matters. Over the years, he represented several universities, corporations, boards, banks, and even the High Court itself.

Justice Kant was appointed as the youngest Advocate General of Haryana on July 7, 2000, and was designated as a Senior Advocate in March 2001. He was later elevated as a permanent judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on January 9, 2004.

He went on to serve as the Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court from October 5, 2018, until his elevation to the Supreme Court of India on May 24, 2019.

Justice Kant has also been actively involved in judicial and legal service institutions. He served two consecutive terms (2007–2011) as a member of the Governing Body of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) and continues to contribute to various committees of the Indian Law Institute, a deemed university functioning under the Supreme Court.

Since November 2024, he has been the Chairman of the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee.