Justice Surya Kant: 53rd Chief Justice Of India; Courter of Controversy

On Monday, November 24, 2025, Justice Surya Kant will take over as India’s 53rd Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Ahead of this, he has laid out plans for his 17-month tenure: an emphasis on “swadeshi jurisprudence”, reducing case arrears across all Indian courts, and expanding legal aid. 

“Why, after 75 years of Supreme Court benches delivering judgments and evolving legal principles, should we still depend on rulings from other countries? That is why there is a need to emphasise Swadeshi jurisprudence,” Justice Surya Kant said. His predecessor, former CJI BR Gavai, had also emphasised this position. 

 With Constitution Day falling on Wednesday—just two days after Justice Kant’s oath-taking ceremony—chief justices and judges from several countries, including Justice Bibi Rehana Mungly-Gulbul, Chief Justice of Mauritius, and Justice Lyonpo Norbu Tshering, Chief Justice of Bhutan, Justice Martha Koome, Chief Justice and President of the Supreme Court of Kenya, Justice Prakash Man Singh Raut, Chief Justice of Nepal, and many others are expected to attend and participate in the ceremony and related interactions.

A Career That Spans Across India’s Legal System

Born on February 10, 1962, in Petwar village in the Hisar district of Haryana, Justice Kant was raised by a Sanskrit teacher father. He spent his formative years in rural Haryana and later moved to Hisar to study at the Government Post Graduate College. After graduating in 1981, he read for his LL.B. at Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak. 

Justice Kant began his legal practice in the District Court of Hisar after his graduation in 1984. From there, he moved to the Punjab & Haryana High Court in Chandigarh. In 2000, he was appointed Advocate-General of Haryana, and four years later, in 2004, he was elevated as a judge of the Punjab & Haryana High Court. In October 2018, he became Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, from where, in May 2019, he was elevated to the Supreme Court of India.

Given Justice Kant’s career has spanned the length and breadth of the Indian trial courts system, he is said to have had a pragmatic and exhaustive view of India’s legal ecosystem. This reflects in his public statements, be it recognising that “doors of the temple of justice remain too narrow for most” litigants. He has repeatedly emphasised the need for alternative dispute resolution, mediation, legal aid, and the utilisation of technology in courts. 

His invocation of “Swadeshi jurisprudence”, as Justice Gavai’s, suggests a heavy leaning towards India’s judgments to respond to the country’s constitutional questions. This is a move away from the traditional practice, in which foreign precedents are examined and, sometimes, relied upon to address new questions of law. 

Justice Kant’s career has also been marked by many controversies. A 2019 report in Caravan magazine alleged that there were numerous allegations dating back years. The Caravan report, which remains unchallenged, pointed out that during his time as a judge in the Punjab & Haryana HC, “a real-estate agent accused the judge of having participated in illegal property dealings involving undervaluation and cash transactions worth several crores.” 

The report also mentioned that a year before he was elevated to Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh, “a prisoner in Punjab filed a complaint listing eight cases heard by Kant, and alleged that the judge had accepted bribes to grant bail in these.” 

At the time of his elevation to CJ of HP, the collegium notes show that retired Justice AK Goyal had dissented to the appointment and written that Kant was “not suitable for appointment as Chief Justice … till thorough enquiry is conducted.” None of the allegations has led to any formal inquiry against Justice Kant. 

Time As Judge Of the Supreme Court: Important Cases

During his time on the Supreme Court, Justice Kant has sat on the bench in many important and landmark cases, including human rights matters. 

 Pegasus spyware case

Justice Kant was also part of the bench that heard the Pegasus surveillance allegations. 

Article 370 verdict

Justice Kant was part of the bench that upheld the abrogation of Article 370, removing  Jammu & Kashmir’s special status. 

Sedition law on hold

He was on the bench that directed the states and the Centre not to register new FIRs under Section 124A of the IPC until the government completed a reconsideration of the provision. 

Bihar electoral rolls revision

Justice Kant directed the Election Commission to disclose details of 65 lakh voters who had been struck off from Bihar’s draft rolls during a Special Intensive Revision.

One rank-one pension (OROP)

Justice Kant upheld that the One Rank-One Pension (OROP) scheme was constitutionally valid.

Security breach in PM Modi’s convoy

He was also on the bench that appointed a panel headed by Justice Indu Malhotra to probe the 2022 security lapse during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Punjab, noting that such sensitive matters require judicial scrutiny.

AMU minority status reconsideration

On a seven-judge bench, Justice Kant helped overturn the 1967 Aligarh Muslim University ruling, paving the way for a fresh examination of AMU’s minority status. 

Bench Dealing With Rohingya Muslims Cases

Justice Kant led the bench that refused to stay the purported deportation of illegal Rohingya Muslims. At one hearing, he refused to accept reports that RMs had been taken from Delhi to Port Blair and dumped in the ocean by Indian officials. Calling the reports “fanciful ideas,” he added that India had “problems of its own” on which to focus. 

He also led the bench that ruled that there must be no discrimination against Rohingya children for school admissions. The court only wants to know where Rohingya families are living, in whose house, and what their particulars are, the bench led by Justice Kant said at that time. 

Gender justice and local governance

He led a bench that reinstated a woman sarpanch who had been unlawfully removed from office. He also directed that one-third of seats in bar associations, including the Supreme Court Bar Association, should be reserved for women.

Governor–President powers reference

Justice Kant was part of the Constitution Bench that heard the case of presidential reference on the powers of Governors and the President in dealing with state legislation.

What to Expect From Chief Justice Of India Surya Kant 

Justice Kant is assuming India’s top judicial office with a 17-month-long tenure, at a time when public sentiment is for greater transparency in the judiciary and against the huge backlog and slow pendency of cases. 

If he is to make a mark, as indicated by his recent media interaction on Saturday, November 22, 2025, he is likely to focus on administrative issues such as clearing backlogs and prioritising Constitution Bench cases. In his own words, he plans to “seek data from high courts about the causes of pendency, review recently-disposed of batch-petition matters, and focus on benches of seven or nine judges for constitutional questions.”

At the same time, he has indicated that he wishes to reconcile the tension between judicial activism and institutional restraint. In earlier remarks, he has said that “judicial overreach risks unsettling the balance of power between government branches.” 

Justice Kant’s swearing-in will take place at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Swearing-in ceremonies for the CJI are usually held in the morning at the Durbar Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, administered by the President of India.