Supreme Court judge, Justice Surya Kant. File.
| Photo Credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN

Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai has recemmonded to the Union Law Ministry the name of Justice Surya Kant as the next CJI.

Justice Surya Kant, the second senior-most Supreme Court judge after the incumbent CJI Gavai, is set to become the 53rd CJI following Chief Justice Gavai’s retirement on November 24.

Under the Memorandum of Procedure for appointment of Chief Justice of India and Supreme Court Judges, the Law Ministry seeks the recommendation of the outgoing Chief Justice on the next appointment. The letter from the government kickstarts the appointment process for the next Chief Justice of India.

The process usually begins a month before the incumbent is to demit office.

Justice Kant was born on February 10, 1962, in Hisar in Haryana.

After completing his graduation from his hometown, Justice Kant earned his bachelor’s degree in law in 1984 from Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak. He started his legal practice at the Hisar district court and shifted to Chandigarh in 1985 to practise in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Justice Kant has specialised in constitutional, service and civil matters. He has represented a number of universities, boards, corporations, banks and also the High Court itself.

He was the youngest Advocate General of Haryana on July 7, 2000, and designated as senior advocate in March 2001.

He was elevated as a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on January 9, 2004. Justice Kant was appointed as the Chief Justice of the High Court of Himachal Pradesh in October, 2018.

He was appointed as a Supreme Court judge on May 24, 2019. He is due to retire on February 9, 2027.

(With inputs from PTI)

Published – October 27, 2025 11:13 am IST