New Delhi: Justice Surya Kant was sworn in as the 53rd Chief Justice of India on Monday at Rashtrapati Bhavan, where President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath in a brief ceremony attended by top constitutional leaders. Justice Kant took the oath in Hindi and affirmed his commitment to uphold the Constitution.
He will serve as CJI until February 9, 2027, marking a tenure of a little over a year. A former Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, Justice Kant joined the Supreme Court in May 2019.
Vice-President C.P. Radhakrishnan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were among the dignitaries present at the ceremony. After being sworn in, Justice Kant greeted the Prime Minister, who later posted photographs of the event on X with a message wishing him success in his new role.
A formal group photograph featuring President Murmu, the Vice-President, the Prime Minister, Justice Kant, his predecessor, and senior government officials was taken following the ceremony.
Born in 1962 in Hisar, Haryana, Justice Surya Kant completed his early education locally before earning his law degree from Maharshi Dayanand University in 1984. He began practising in the Hisar courts and later shifted to the Punjab and Haryana High Court in Chandigarh in 1985. Over the years, he held several key positions, including becoming Haryana’s youngest Advocate General in 2000 and being designated a senior advocate the following year.
Elevated as a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2004, he went on to serve as Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court in 2018. During his tenure in the Supreme Court, Justice Kant was part of several significant constitutional benches, including those that ruled on the Article 370 case, struck down the electoral bonds scheme, examined the Pegasus spyware allegations, and reviewed the sedition law.
