Justice Surya Kant appointed as 53rd Chief Justice of India

New Delhi, Oct 31: Justice Surya Kant was on Thursday appointed as the 53rd Chief Justice of India, and he will assume charge on November 24.

The Department of Justice in the Union Law Ministry issued a notification announcing his appointment.

Justice Surya Kant succeeds Justice Bhushan R Gavai, who demits office on November 23.

He will be the CJI for nearly 15 months and will demit office on February 9, 2027, on attaining the age of 65 years.

“In exercise of the powers conferred by the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Justice Surya Kant, Judge of the Supreme Court of India, as the Chief Justice of India with effect from 24th November, 2025,” Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said in a post on X.

“I convey my heartiest congratulations and best wishes to him,” he added.

Justice Kant, born in a middle-class family on February 10, 1962, in Hissar district of Haryana, became a top court Judge on May 24, 2019.

He brings to the country’s top judicial office a wealth of experience spanning two decades on the Bench, marked by landmark verdicts on abrogation of Article 370, free speech, democracy, corruption, environment and gender equality.

Justice Kant 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.

He also nudged the Election Commission to disclose details of 65 lakh excluded voters in Bihar, showing his commitment to electoral transparency. He made history by directing that one-third of seats in Bar associations, including the Supreme Court Bar Association, be reserved for women.

– PTI