Justice Surya Kant took oath on Monday as the 53rd Chief Justice of India, succeeding Justice B.R. Gavai, who retired on Sunday.
During his tenure in the Supreme Court, Justice Kant has been part of several key constitutional decisions, including verdicts related to the abrogation of Article 370, the revision of Bihar’s electoral rolls, and the Pegasus spyware case.
Who is Justice Surya Kant?
Born on February 10, 1962, in Hisar, Haryana, Justice Surya Kant rose from being a small-town lawyer to holding the country’s highest judicial office. He completed his Master’s degree in law from Kurukshetra University in 2011 with top honours.
He earlier served as the Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court from October 5, 2018, and delivered several notable judgments during his tenure at the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Justice Kant will serve as CJI for 15 months, retiring on February 9, 2027, upon turning 65.
He notably urged the Election Commission to submit details of 65 lakh voters excluded from Bihar’s draft electoral rolls while hearing petitions challenging the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
Top Priorities as New CJI
Justice Kant has stated that reducing the judiciary’s pending cases and promoting mediation will be his key priorities.
“My first and foremost challenge is arrears of cases. The Supreme Court arrears have crossed 90,000,” he said, as quoted by PTI.
He added that encouraging mediation could be a “game changer” in resolving disputes efficiently.