Justice Surya Kant sworn in as 53rd Chief Justice of India

Justice Surya Kant was sworn in by President Droupadi Murmu as the 53rd Chief Justice of India (CJI) at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday (November 24, 2025.). He took his oath of office, pledging his commitment to uphold the Constitution and faithfully discharge duties, in Hindi.

Chief Justice Kant has a tenure as top Judge of a little over a year. He retires on February 9, 2027. He was appointed to the Supreme Court on May 24, 2019.

Born on February 10, 1962, at Hisar in Haryana, Mr. Kant completed his graduation from his hometown, and 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 practice in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Justice Kant has been a part of several impactful decisions of the Supreme Court, including the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution which removed the special status to the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir. Justice Kant was also part of the Bench which held the electoral bonds scheme unconstitutional. He was a member of the Benches which heard the Pegasus spyware case and suspension of the sedition law.

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.