New Delhi [India], November 24 (HBTV): Justice Surya Kant took oath as the 53rd Chief Justice of India on Monday, succeeding Justice BR Gavai and marking the beginning of his nearly 15-month tenure. President Murmu administered the oath of office to Justice Surya Kant at the Rashtrapati Bhavan today.
Justice Kant was born on February 10, 1962, in Hisar, Haryana. He began practising as a lawyer at the Hisar district court in 1984 before shifting to Chandigarh in 1985 to practise at the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Specialising in constitutional, service and civil matters, he represented several universities, boards, corporations, banks and even the High Court itself.
He became the youngest Advocate General of Haryana on July 7, 2000, and was designated a Senior Advocate in March the following year. He held the office of Advocate General until his elevation as a permanent judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on January 9, 2004. Fifteen years later, on May 24, 2019, Justice Surya Kant was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court.
He has served two terms as a member of the Governing Body of the National Legal Services Authority and is currently a member of various committees of the Indian Law Institute, a deemed university under the aegis of the Supreme Court. He graduated from Government Post Graduate College in 1981 and earned his bachelor’s degree in law in 1984 from Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak.
Justice Kant has said he will focus on reducing the massive pendency of cases across the country during his tenure. Speaking to legal journalists at his residence in Delhi ahead of assuming office, he outlined his priorities for the highest judicial office. He described mediation, an alternative dispute resolution mechanism, as ‘a game changer’ that can provide faster, off-court settlements to litigants.
He emphasised that arrears of pending cases must be addressed both at the individual court level and on a pan-India basis, noting that he has already taken up this issue. One major challenge, he explained, is the overlapping of matters, with ‘thousands of matters kept in abeyance as they await decisions from larger benches’. As a result, High Courts and District Courts are also stuck due to multiple unresolved legal questions. He said that once these complexities are resolved, the next steps can follow.
Notably, multiple chief justices and foreign dignitaries attended the oath-taking ceremony of CJI Surya Kant, marking the largest such delegation to witness the swearing-in of a Chief Justice of India. Dignitaries from Malaysia, Mauritius, Nepal, Bhutan, Kenya and Sri Lanka attended the ceremony.
From Sri Lanka, Chief Justice P Padman Surasena, his spouse Sepalika Surasena, and Supreme Court Justice S Thurairaja attended. From Nepal, Chief Justice Prakash Man Singh Raut, Supreme Court Judge Sapana Pradhan Malla, his spouse Ashok Bahadur Malla, Nepal’s Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Anil Kumar Sinha, and his spouse Ursila Sinha were present.
Chief Justice of Mauritius Justice Bibi Rehana Mungly-Gulbul and Rebecca Hanna Bibi Gulbul, daughter of the Mauritius CJI, were also among those present. From Malaysia, Justice Tan Sri Datuk Nalini Pathmanathan of the Federal Court and his spouse Pasupathy Sivapragasam attended. Kenya’s Chief Justice and Supreme Court President Martha Koome attended with Supreme Court Judge Justice Susan Njoki Ndungu. From Bhutan, Chief Justice Lyonpo Norbu Tshering and his spouse Lhaden Lotay were present.
Justice Surya Kant will serve a nearly 15-month tenure and is set to retire on February 9, 2027. (ANI)