New Delhi: If all goes as per schedule, Justice Surya Kant will be sworn-in as the 53rd Chief Justice of India (CJI) on November 24.
CJI Bhushan R Gavai, on Monday, recommended Justice Kant’s name as his successor to the Union government. Justice Kant is the seniormost judge of the Supreme Court after CJI Gavai.
CJI Gavai will retire on November 23. Justice Kant, after he assumes office, is expected to serve until his retirement on February 9, 2027. The present CJI will hand over a copy of his recommendation letter to Justice Kant shortly.
The recommendation follows the Union government’s October 23 communication to Justice Gavai, requesting him to name his successor in accordance with established convention.
CJI Gavai had told Hindustan Times that Justice Kant is “suited and competent in all aspects to take the helm,” adding that his successor “will prove to be an asset to the institution as its head.”
“Like me, Justice Kant also belongs to the class in society that has seen struggles at every stage in life, which makes me confident that he would be best suited to understand the pain and sufferings of those who need the judiciary to protect their rights,” the CJI has been quoted as saying.
As per the longstanding practice, the Union law ministry writes to the incumbent CJI a little over a month before his retirement, seeking his recommendation of the next in line by seniority. The CJI then forwards the name formally to the government.
Under the memorandum of procedure (MoP) governing judicial appointments and transfers, the appointment to the office of Chief Justice of India should be made of the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court considered fit to hold the position.
Following the recommendation by CJI Gavai, the government is expected to issue a notification appointing Justice Kant as the next CJI soon.
Once appointed, Justice Kant will be the first person from Haryana to occupy the topmost judicial post in the country.
He has had a distinguished career marked by administrative acumen and academic pursuit. He became the youngest Advocate General of Haryana at 38 and was elevated as a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2004 at the age of 42. Even after joining the judiciary, he continued his studies, earning a first-class master’s degree in law from Kurukshetra University’s Directorate of Distance Education in 2011.
After serving for over 14 years as a high court judge, Justice Kant was appointed Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court in October 2018. He was subsequently elevated to the Supreme Court on May 24, 2019.
Justice Kant is known for his humility, even temperament and deep sense of fairness, He is regarded as a jurist who combines legal rigour with empathy. He is widely credited for his administrative efficiency and for promoting consistency across high courts, particularly in monitoring the performance of the district judiciary.
