Justice Surya Kant has been formally appointed as the next Chief Justice of India (CJI). The announcement was made by Union Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, who confirmed that the President Droupadi Murmu has exercised her constitutional powers to appoint Justice Kant as the Chief Justice with effect from November 24, 2025.
In a post on X, Meghwal congratulated Justice Surya Kant and conveyed his best wishes to him.
Justice Kant’s appointment follows the recommendation of Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai, who will demit office on November 23, 2025, upon attaining the age of 65. As per convention, the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court is appointed as the Chief Justice of India.
The official notification issued by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice said, “In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Surya Kant, Judge of the Supreme Court of India, to be the Chief Justice of India with effect from November 24, 2025.”
Justice Surya Kant will be the 53rd Chief Justice of India and will have a tenure of about 14 months, retiring on February 9, 2027.
Born on February 10, 1962, in Petwar village, Hisar district, Haryana, Justice Kant earned his law degree from Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak, in 1984. He began his practice at the District Courts in Hisar before moving to the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 1985, where he specialized in constitutional, service, and civil law.
In 2000, at the age of 38, he became the youngest Advocate General of Haryana and was designated as a Senior Advocate. He served in that role until his elevation as a Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on January 9, 2004.
Justice Kant later served as Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court from October 5, 2018, before being elevated to the Supreme Court of India on May 24, 2019.
He has been an active member of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), serving on its Governing Body from 2007 to 2011 and currently as its Executive Chairman since May 2025. He also holds a Master’s degree in Law, which he earned with First Class First distinction in 2011.
Over his four-decade-long judicial career, Justice Surya Kant has presided over thousands of cases, delivering several landmark judgments across constitutional, civil, and human rights matters. From complex constitutional matters to human rights petitions, Justice Surya Kant’s career epitomizes a harmonious blend of judicial service with empathy, academic excellence and an unwavering commitment to the rule of law.
