Surya Kant was sworn in as the 53rd Chief Justice of India, succeeding Gavai, with the oath administered by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
During his tenure, he plans to focus on “swadeshi jurisprudence”, reducing case backlogs, and expanding legal aid across the judicial system.
Two Days Before Constitution Day, Justice Surya Kant Sworn In India's 53rd CJI
Kant has served in key judicial roles and contributed to major rulings, including the verdict on the abrogation of Article 370, and will serve as CJI until February 2027.
Summary
Taking the oath in Hindi, Justice Surya Kant has been sworn in as the 53rd Chief Justice of India on Monday. He has succeeded Justice B R Gavai.
The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, was present to administer the oath to Justice Kant at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Vice President C P Radhakrishnan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were also present at the ceremony.
Kant has been part of several landmark verdicts, including on abrogation of Article 370 removing Jammu and Kashmir's special status,.
Justice Kant was appointed as the next CJI on October 30 and will remain in the post for nearly 15 months. He will demit office on February 9, 2027 on attaining the age of 65 years.
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.
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.
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