Justice Surya Kant To Take Oath As 53rd Chief Justice Of India Today
Justice Surya Kant is taking oath today as the 53rd Chief Justice of India (CJI). The oath-taking ceremony is being administered by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Justice Surya Kant will serve as CJI for nearly 15 months, succeeding Justice BR Gavai, and is set to retire on February 9, 2027.
Notably, Justice Surya Kant has been part of significant rulings including those on Article 370, the Pegasus spyware case, and electoral reforms. He was appointed as CJI on October 30, 2025, and assumed office today, November 24, 2025. The ceremony is marked by attendance of dignitaries including foreign Chief Justices from Bhutan, Kenya, Mauritius, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, signifying its importance in India’s judicial and constitutional history.
Justice Surya Kant is an eminent Indian judge who is set to become the 53rd Chief Justice of India on November 24, 2025. Born on February 10, 1962, in Hisar, Haryana, he has had a distinguished judicial career marked by a blend of constitutional clarity, social empathy, and institutional accountability. After graduating in law and topping his Master’s degree at Kurukshetra University, he began his legal practice in 1984 and was appointed Advocate General of Haryana in 2000. He became a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2004 and later served as Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court before being elevated to the Supreme Court in May 2019.
Justice Surya Kant is known for landmark judgments on human rights, gender equality, free speech, prison reforms, and constitutional matters. He was part of the bench that upheld the abrogation of Article 370, put the colonial-era sedition law in abeyance directing a review of the law, and issued orders for gender justice such as reserving seats for women in bar associations and protecting domestic workers’ rights. He has emphasized the balance of liberty and responsibility in free speech, and institutional accountability, notably holding that national security cannot be used to evade judicial scrutiny in cases like the Pegasus spyware incident.
Throughout his career, he has delivered key rulings on criminal, constitutional, and administrative law and has been involved in high-profile cases related to federalism and electoral integrity. His judgments reflect a nuanced approach to justice, balancing national interest with human rights, and institutional transparency with social justice. His tenure as Chief Justice will focus on managing the Supreme Court’s growing backlog and addressing contemporary legal challenges involving technology, privacy, and democratic accountability.
