Chief Justice of India Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai has recommended Justice Surya Kant, the second senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, as his successor.
Chief Justice Gavai, in his recommendation, described Justice Kant as “suited and competent in all aspects to take the helm,” adding that both shared a similar social background marked by perseverance and struggle.
Justice Surya Kant, the second senior-most Supreme Court judge after the incumbent CJI Gavai, is set to become the 53rd CJI on November 24 after CJI Gavai's retirement on November 23.
The CJI's recommendation came after he received a letter last week from the Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, who asked him to nominate his successor Justice Surya Kant as 53rd CJI on November 24, 2025.
As per the Supreme Court website, Justice Kant was born on February, 10, 1962 at Hisar (Haryana) to a middle class family.
He graduated from Government Post Graduate College, Hisar in 1981, and acquired his Bachelor's degree in Law in 1984 from Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak.
He started practicing Law at the District Court, Hisar in 1984, and shifted to Chandigarh in 1985 to practice in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Justice Kant specialises in Constitutional, Service and Civil matters. He represented a number of Universities, Boards, Corporations, Banks, and even the High Court itself.
He was appointed as Advocate General (AG) of Haryana on July 7, 2000, and was designated as Senior Advocate in March, 2001. He held the office of Advocate General, Haryana till his elevation as a permanent Judge to the Punjab and Haryana High Court on January 09, 2004.
Justice Kant was nominated as a Member of the Governing Body of National Legal Services Authority on February 23, 2007, for two consecutive terms till February 22, 2011.
He is presently a Member of various Committees of Indian Law Institute a deemed university under the aegis of Supreme Court. He earned another distinction of standing First Class First in his Master's degree in Law in 2011 from the Directorate of Distance Education, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra.
He assumed charge of the office of the Chief Justice of the High Court of Himachal Pradesh with effect from October, 5, 2018.
He was part of the bench that upheld the abrogation of Article 370 concerning Jammu and Kashmir and the bench that struck down the electoral bonds scheme, citing a violation of citizens' right to information. Justice Kant also authored the majority opinion validating Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, part of the Assam accord.
He also upheld the validity of the One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme for the armed forces.
Justice Kant was part of the bench that appointed an expert panel in the Pegasus spyware case, stating the state cannot use national security as a free pass for surveillance.
He has been involved in cases concerning the appointment of the Delhi Police Commissioner and the protection of public water bodies, emphasizing they are public utilities and their takeover is illegal.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he was on a bench that directed authorities to consider releasing prisoners to alleviate overcrowding in jails.
Elevated as a Judge of the Supreme Court on May 24, 2019, Justice Kant will be retiring on Feb 9, 2027. He is also the Chairman of Supreme Court Legal Services Committee, with effect from November 12, 2025.
