Justice Surya Kant on Monday was administered the oath of office as the 53rd Chief Justice of India (CJI) by President Droupadi Murmu in a formal ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. This event marked the culmination of an extraordinary personal and professional journey that began in the agricultural fields of a village in Hisar district, Haryana, and led to the highest judicial position in the country.
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by several dignitaries, including Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and a number of Union ministers from the Prime Minister’s cabinet.
During his tenure as a judge of the Supreme Court of India, Justice Surya Kant has been part of several Constitution Benches that delivered landmark judgements on matters of national importance. Among the notable cases he has been associated with are the constitutional challenge to the abrogation of Article 370 and the reorganisation of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir, the revision and updating of electoral rolls in Bihar, and the proceedings concerning the alleged use of Pegasus spyware for surveillance. These rulings have had far-reaching implications for India’s constitutional framework and governance.
Who is Justice Surya Kant?
Justice Sandeep Kumar Kant was born on February 10, 1962, in Petwar village in the Narnaud region of Hisar district. He completed his early education in local village schools and obtained his law degree from Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, in 1984.
In the same year, he enrolled as an advocate and started practising at the Hisar district court before moving to Chandigarh, where he established a successful practice at the Punjab and Haryana High Court, focusing on constitutional, service, and civil law matters. While already serving as a judge, he later earned a master’s degree in law from Kurukshetra University, securing first-class first position.
His ascent in the legal profession was rapid. In 2000, at the age of 38, he was appointed the youngest Advocate General of Haryana. He was designated as a Senior Advocate in 2001 and elevated as a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2004. In October 2018, he assumed office as Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, and in May 2019, he was elevated to the Supreme Court of India.
During his tenure of over six years at the Supreme Court, Justice Kant has delivered more than 300 judgements, including in several significant constitutional cases. He was a member of the Constitution Bench that upheld the abrogation of Article 370, the Bench that pronounced the judgement on Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, and the Bench that granted interim bail to former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal while upholding the legality of his arrest. Most recently, he was part of the Bench that decided the presidential reference regarding timelines for governors and the President to assent to state bills.
As Executive Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), he launched the Veer Parivar Sahayata Yojana 2025, a scheme to provide free legal assistance to serving soldiers, veterans, and their families.
Also Read: Govt appoints Justice Surya Kant as next CJI
Follow us
