Justice Surya Kant was sworn in as the 53rd Chief Justice of India (CJI) on Monday, November 24, 2025, at Rashtrapati Bhawan. President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office, marking the commencement of Justice Kant's tenure, which is expected to last for nearly 15 months. He succeeds Justice B. R. Gavai, who left office on November 23, 2025. Justice Kant will remain in office until February 9, 2027.
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by prominent figures, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, and several Union Ministers such as Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Arjun Ram Meghwal, and Piyush Goyal. Delhi Lieutenant Governor V. K. Saxena was also present. Chief Justices from Bhutan, Kenya, Mauritius, Nepal, and Sri Lanka were also in attendance for the ceremony and the Constitution Day celebration.
Born on February 10, 1962, in Hisar, Haryana, Justice Kant's journey to the highest judicial office is a story of remarkable ascent from a small-town practice. He obtained his law degree from Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, in 1984, becoming the first law graduate in his family. He achieved "first class first" in his Master's degree in law from Kurukshetra University. Justice Kant was the youngest Advocate General of Haryana in 2000, and was designated as a senior advocate in March 2001. Before his elevation to the Supreme Court on May 24, 2019, he served as a Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court from 2004 and as the Chief Justice of the High Court of Himachal Pradesh from October 2018.
Justice Kant's tenure as a Supreme Court judge has been marked by his involvement in several landmark judgments concerning constitutional law, free speech, and gender equality. He was part of the bench that upheld the abrogation of Article 370, which revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. He was also a member of the benches that heard the Pegasus spyware case and addressed the suspension of the sedition law. The bench put the colonial-era sedition law in abeyance, directing that no new FIRs be registered under it until a government review. Justice Kant also nudged the Election Commission to disclose the details of 65 lakh voters excluded from the draft electoral rolls in Bihar. Furthermore, he was part of the bench that held the electoral bonds scheme unconstitutional.
Known for his views on free speech, Justice Kant has emphasized the importance of protecting this right, especially for journalists. However, he has also cautioned against the misuse of free speech, particularly by public figures and social media influencers, and has spoken out against derogatory remarks and insensitive content online.
Justice Kant has been a proponent of gender equality throughout his judicial career. He reinstated a woman sarpanch who had been unlawfully removed from office, citing gender bias. He also directed that one-third of seats in bar associations, including the Supreme Court Bar Association, be reserved for women. Justice Kant has emphasized that marriage should be based on dignity, equality, and partnership. He has highlighted the judiciary's role in recognizing gender equality, particularly within family law.
Justice Kant has cautioned against the weaponization of transparency, noting that it can be used to undermine public confidence in the judiciary. He observed that hyper-connectivity and the spread of misinformation can lead to misinterpretations and a decline in public trust. He has stressed the importance of judicial integrity and transparency as the foundation of a fair legal system.
