Justice Surya Kant, who will take oath as the 53rd Chief Justice of India (CJI) on November 24, brings to the nation’s top judicial office a two-decade career marked by a blend of constitutional clarity, social empathy, and institutional accountability. His journey from a small-town lawyer in Haryana’s Hisar to the country’s top judge has been defined by bold rulings on issues ranging from Article 370 and gender equality to corruption and free speech.
Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai on Monday formally recommended Justice Kant’s name to the Centre, setting the stage for his elevation. Once appointed, the 63-year-old will serve a tenure of nearly 15 months till his retirement on February 9, 2027.
Born on February 10, 1962, in Hisar to a middle-class family, Justice Kant graduated in law and later topped his Master’s degree at Kurukshetra University in 2011. Before his elevation to the Supreme Court in May 2019, he served as the Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court and delivered several influential judgments at the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
He was also among the judges who put the colonial-era sedition law in abeyance, directing that no new cases be registered until the Centre completed its review — a move hailed as a milestone in safeguarding civil liberties.
Justice Kant was also part of the presidential reference on the powers of governors and presidents in dealing with state legislation — a verdict with major federal implications that is still awaited.
Throughout his judicial career, Justice Kant has been a strong voice for gender equality. He reinstated a woman sarpanch unlawfully removed from office, citing gender bias, and ordered that one-third of seats in bar associations, including the Supreme Court Bar Association, be reserved for women.
He also led a bench that directed the government to frame protections for domestic workers — calling attention to one of India’s most vulnerable and under-recognised workforces.
He pulled up comedians and online creators for mocking persons with disabilities and directed the Centre to draft guidelines to regulate digital content. In another instance, he reprimanded a Madhya Pradesh minister for sexist comments against a female Army officer, underscoring that public office demands restraint and respect.
Justice Kant’s insistence on institutional accountability has been consistent. In the Pegasus spyware case, he held that the state cannot invoke “national security” to escape judicial scrutiny, warning that it cannot be used as a “bugbear” to evade transparency.
He was also part of the bench that appointed a committee headed by former Justice Indu Malhotra to probe the security lapse during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2022 Punjab visit, noting that such matters require “a judicially trained mind.”
He was also part of the bench that granted bail to former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case, remarking that investigative agencies must work to dispel the notion of being a “caged parrot.”
His judgments have balanced national interest with human rights — as seen in his order upholding the Char Dham highway project in Uttarakhand, where he emphasised its strategic importance for defence while mandating environmental safeguards.
Since his elevation to the Supreme Court in 2019, Justice Kant has served on over 300 benches, shaping jurisprudence across criminal, constitutional, and administrative law. He was also on the seven-judge bench that reopened the question of Aligarh Muslim University’s minority status, revisiting a 1967 verdict.
As he prepares to assume the role of Chief Justice, Justice Kant faces the monumental task of tackling the Supreme Court’s growing backlog of nearly 90,000 cases — and guiding the judiciary through debates on technology, privacy, and democratic accountability.
(With inputs from PTI)
Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai on Monday formally recommended Justice Kant’s name to the Centre, setting the stage for his elevation. Once appointed, the 63-year-old will serve a tenure of nearly 15 months till his retirement on February 9, 2027.
Born on February 10, 1962, in Hisar to a middle-class family, Justice Kant graduated in law and later topped his Master’s degree at Kurukshetra University in 2011. Before his elevation to the Supreme Court in May 2019, he served as the Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court and delivered several influential judgments at the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
A jurist of constitutional balance
Justice Kant’s tenure in the Supreme Court has been defined by some of the most consequential cases in recent years. He was part of the bench that upheld the abrogation of Article 370 and ruled on key aspects of free speech and citizenship.He was also among the judges who put the colonial-era sedition law in abeyance, directing that no new cases be registered until the Centre completed its review — a move hailed as a milestone in safeguarding civil liberties.
Justice Kant was also part of the presidential reference on the powers of governors and presidents in dealing with state legislation — a verdict with major federal implications that is still awaited.
Throughout his judicial career, Justice Kant has been a strong voice for gender equality. He reinstated a woman sarpanch unlawfully removed from office, citing gender bias, and ordered that one-third of seats in bar associations, including the Supreme Court Bar Association, be reserved for women.
He also led a bench that directed the government to frame protections for domestic workers — calling attention to one of India’s most vulnerable and under-recognised workforces.
Defender of accountability and free expression
Justice Kant’s judgments reflect a nuanced approach to free speech — firm in defence of liberty, yet mindful of responsibility. His bench observed that “freedom of speech is not a licence to flout societal norms,” while cautioning public figures and social media influencers over derogatory or insensitive remarks.He pulled up comedians and online creators for mocking persons with disabilities and directed the Centre to draft guidelines to regulate digital content. In another instance, he reprimanded a Madhya Pradesh minister for sexist comments against a female Army officer, underscoring that public office demands restraint and respect.
Justice Kant’s insistence on institutional accountability has been consistent. In the Pegasus spyware case, he held that the state cannot invoke “national security” to escape judicial scrutiny, warning that it cannot be used as a “bugbear” to evade transparency.
He was also part of the bench that appointed a committee headed by former Justice Indu Malhotra to probe the security lapse during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2022 Punjab visit, noting that such matters require “a judicially trained mind.”
Tackling corruption and governance lapses
Justice Kant has often described corruption as a “serious societal threat.” In a 2023 ruling, he ordered a CBI probe into 28 cases exposing a nexus between banks and developers that had defrauded homebuyers.He was also part of the bench that granted bail to former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case, remarking that investigative agencies must work to dispel the notion of being a “caged parrot.”
His judgments have balanced national interest with human rights — as seen in his order upholding the Char Dham highway project in Uttarakhand, where he emphasised its strategic importance for defence while mandating environmental safeguards.
Since his elevation to the Supreme Court in 2019, Justice Kant has served on over 300 benches, shaping jurisprudence across criminal, constitutional, and administrative law. He was also on the seven-judge bench that reopened the question of Aligarh Muslim University’s minority status, revisiting a 1967 verdict.
As he prepares to assume the role of Chief Justice, Justice Kant faces the monumental task of tackling the Supreme Court’s growing backlog of nearly 90,000 cases — and guiding the judiciary through debates on technology, privacy, and democratic accountability.
(With inputs from PTI)
