On Monday (27th October) Chief Justice of India, Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai refers the name of Justice Suryakant as his successor, the recommendation has been sent to the Union law ministry, in line with the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) that governs appointments to the higher judiciary. Justice Surya Kant is currently the senior-most judge after CJI Gavai and hence, will become the 53rd Chief Justice of India on 24th November, 2025 after CJI Gavai’s retirement on November 23, 2025 and will continue to be the CJI till February 9, 2027. He will have a tenure of nearly 15 months as CJI.
In his recommendation, Chief Justice Gavai described Justice Kant as “suited and competent in all aspects to take the helm,” noting their shared social background marked by perseverance and struggle.
About the next CJI : Justice Kant
Born on February 10, 1962, in Haryana’s Hisar, Justice Surya Kant comes from a modest, middle-class family in a region not often in the spotlight of India’s judicial elite. As per Bar and Bench, he pursued his undergraduate education at Government Post Graduate College, Hisar, and earned his law degree from Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak, in 1984.
He began his legal practice at the Hisar district court before joining the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 1985, specialising in constitutional, service, and civil matters. His sharp legal acumen saw him represent several public institutions, including universities, boards, and banks.
In 2000, at the age of 38, he became the youngest Advocate General of Haryana and was designated a Senior Advocate the following year.
Justice Surya Kant was appointed as a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in January 2004, where he served for over 14 years. Known for his balanced judgments and strong constitutional grounding, he was elevated as Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court in 2018 and later to the Supreme Court in May 2019.
Now he will serve as the Judiciary as CJI from November 24, 2025 to February 9, 2027. A judge retires at the age of 65 and hence, Justice Kant will be able to serve for 15 Months.
Works of Justice Kant
At the Supreme Court, Justice Kant has been part of several Constitution Benches and played a key role in landmark rulings, including the 2023 verdict upholding the abrogation of Article 370. He has contributed to over 1,000 judgments covering constitutional, administrative, and human rights issues.
He was part of the historic bench that kept the colonial-era sedition law in abeyance, directing that no new FIRs be registered under it until a government review.
In the latest controversy around the deletion of voters in Bihar, he nudged the Election Commission to disclose details of 65 lakh excluded voters in Bihar.
An advocate for women’s representation in the legal field, Justice Kant ordered that one-third of seats in all bar associations, including the Supreme Court Bar Association, be reserved for women.
Among many other high-profile cases, he was also a part of the bench that appointed a five-member committee headed by former SC judge Indu Malhotra to probe the security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 2022 Punjab visit, saying such matters required 'a judicially trained mind.'
He upheld the One Rank-One Pension (OROP) scheme for defence forces, calling it constitutionally valid. He was on the seven-judge bench that overruled the 1967 Aligarh Muslim University judgment, opening the way for reconsideration of the institution's minority status.
Pegasus spyware case was also heard by a bench with Justice Surya Kant as a member. The bench had appointed a panel of cyber experts to probe allegations of unlawful surveillance, famously stating that the state cannot get a 'free pass under the guise of national security.'
At present, he serves as the Chairperson of the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee (since November 2024) and holds the position of Visitor at the National University of Study and Research in Law, Ranchi. Previously, he served two terms as a member of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) and continues to be associated with the Indian Law Institute.
Sources
https://www.firstpost.com/india/who-is-justice-surya-kant-recommended-by-cji-gavai-as-the-next-chief-justice-of-india-13945423.html
https://www.thedailyjagran.com/india/justice-surya-kant-announced-next-cji-name-referred-to-centre-by-cji-gavai-10276034
https://www.news18.com/india/from-haryanas-heartland-to-indias-next-cji-all-about-justice-surya-kant-ws-kl-9661451.html