Justice Surya Kant, who is set to become the 53rd Chief Justice of India (CJI) on November 24, 2025, has announced that tackling the massive backlog of cases and promoting mediation will be his top priorities. In a press briefing held at his residence on Saturday, November 22, Justice Kant addressed journalists and outlined his vision for streamlining the judiciary and easing the burden on the court system.
Justice Kant acknowledged the staggering number of pending cases, revealing that the Supreme Court alone has 90,000 cases in arrears. He stressed the importance of reducing this backlog, which contributes to delays and inefficiencies in the justice system. He intends to identify why people are coming directly to the Supreme Court, bypassing High Courts. He plans to focus on cases stuck in lower courts due to connected matters pending before the Supreme Court. According to Justice Kant, he will constitute benches to resolve them. He also expressed concern over the growing trend of litigants approaching the Supreme Court directly, bypassing High Courts, and advocated for resolving matters at the lower court level whenever possible.
To address the issue of pending cases, Justice Kant plans to prioritize older cases and understand the reasons behind their prolonged stagnation. He aims to set up Constitution Benches to dispose of important matters involving constitutional questions, which could lead to the clearing of hundreds and thousands of cases in High Courts.
Recognizing the potential of alternative dispute resolution methods, Justice Kant emphasized the importance of promoting mediation as a "game changer" for the Indian judiciary. He believes that mediation can provide a faster, more cost-effective, and less adversarial means of resolving disputes. Justice Kant intends to encourage both courts and government agencies to adopt mediation more broadly, fostering a conducive environment for its implementation. He plans to push for increased mediation and the development of mediation centers across the Indian legal landscape.
In addition to addressing the backlog and promoting mediation, Justice Kant touched upon the importance of judicial independence, stating that judges should not come under pressure from social media. He also mentioned the likelihood of signing MoUs for judicial training with countries like Kenya. Several foreign chief justices and judges from Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Malaysia, Brazil and Kenya are expected to attend Justice Kant's oath ceremony on November 24.
Justice Kant was born on February 10, 1962, and earned his law degree from Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak, in 1984. He began his practice in the District Courts of Hisar before moving to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, specializing in Constitutional, Service, and Civil matters. He was appointed the youngest Advocate General of Haryana in 2000 and served as a Judge on the Governing Body of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) from 2007 to 2011. He was appointed as the Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court on October 5, 2018, and elevated to the Supreme Court of India on May 24, 2019. Since May 14, 2025, he has been the Executive Chairman of NALSA. As CJI, he will have a tenure until February 9, 2027.
