India's new CJI Surya Kant: Looking at his journey to courtroom

New CJI Surya Kant taking oath on November 24 | (Image: PTI)

On Monday, Justice Surya Kant took oath as the 53rd Chief Justice of India, with President Droupadi Murmu administering the oath.

CJI Kant took oath of office in Hindi, pledging his commitment to uphold the Constitution and faithfully discharge duties. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah attended the ceremony.

He succeeds Justice BR Gavai, who demitted office on November 23. Appointed on October 30 as the next CJI, Justice Kant will serve for nearly 15 months and will step down on February 9, 2027, upon turning 65.

Who is Justice Surya Kant?

Justice Surya Kant’s journey from a modest upbringing in Hisar to the country’s highest judicial office has been marked by persistence, academic discipline and decades of judicial work across constitutional, civil, and service matters.

Born on February 10, 1962, in Haryana’s Hisar district, he rose through the legal ranks without the early advantages many in the profession enjoy.

His career, beginning in the Hisar District Court in 1984 and shifting to Chandigarh a year later, gradually brought him to the centre of several nationally significant rulings.

Over time, he represented universities, boards, corporations, and banks, later serving as youngest Advocate General of Haryana since July 7, 2000, before being elevated as a permanent judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on January 9, 2004.

His eventual ascent to the Supreme Court was shaped by years on the Bench, including his tenure as Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court beginning October 5, 2018.

His work there, and earlier in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, included a series of notable judgments that reflected his approach to justice, federalism, and individual liberties.

Recognizing his judicial temperament and commitment, the Supreme Court Collegium recommended his elevation, leading to his appointment as a judge of the Supreme Court of India on May 24, 2019. He is also the chairman of Supreme Court Legal Services Committee since November 12, 2024.

In a recent address at the National Law Conference hosted by the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, Justice Kant reflected on the intersection of technology and justice. While acknowledging that technology is a powerful ally for the legal profession, he said that justice itself remains deeply human. “The essence of our calling lies not in data or algorithms, but in conscience and compassion,” he told the gathering.

Beyond the courtroom, his involvement extends to legal institutions and forums, including two terms as a member of the governing body of the National Legal Services Authority and participation in committees of the Indian Law Institute.

His academic record also stands out -- he earned his Master’s degree in law from Kurukshetra University in 2011, standing “first class first”.

As he assumes leadership of the judiciary, Justice Surya Kant brings with him decades of engagement with constitutional principles, human rights, governance, and the rapidly shifting terrain of law in a technologically complex era.

Key verdicts: Article 370, Sedition law, OROP, Pegasus spyware

Throughout his tenure in the Supreme Court, he has been part of several consequential rulings and orders. His involvement includes the historic decision that kept the colonial-era sedition law in abeyance, with the bench directing that no new FIRs be registered until a government review.

He played a critical role in matters relating to free speech, democracy, gender equality, and citizenship. His judgments and observations often underscored the need for fairness and accountability -- visible, for example, when he led a bench that reinstated a woman sarpanch wrongfully removed from office, pointing out the gender bias at play.

He also pushed for greater representation of women in the legal system, issuing directions that one-third of seats in bar associations, including the Supreme Court Bar Association, be reserved for women.

His intervention in the Bihar electoral rolls controversy nudged the Election Commission to disclose information on 65 lakh voters excluded from draft rolls during the Special Intensive Revision in the poll-bound state.

His tenure as a Supreme Court was also marked by verdict on the abrogation of Article 370 revoking the 'spcial status' granted to Jammu and Kashmir.

Justice Kant was part of the bench that appointed a committee headed by Justice Indu Malhotra to investigate the security breach during the Prime Minister’s visit to Punjab in 2022, remarking that such sensitive matters required “a judicially trained mind”.

His contributions extended to the One Rank-One Pension litigation, in which he upheld the scheme as constitutionally valid, and he continues to hear cases involving women officers in the armed forces seeking parity in permanent commission.

Significantly, he was part of the seven-judge bench that overturned the 1967 Aligarh Muslim University ruling, clearing the way for re-examining the institution’s minority status.

He also served on the bench handling the Pegasus spyware case and supported the appointment of a committee of cyber experts to investigate alleged unlawful surveillance.

His observation that the state cannot receive a “free pass under the guise of national security” became one of the defining statements of that proceeding.