President Murmu administers oath of office to CJI Justice Surya Kant

New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu on Monday administered the oath of office to Justice Surya Kant as the 53rd Chief Justice of India (CJI), marking the beginning of his 14-month tenure in the country's highest judicial office. 

CJI Surya Kant Succeeds Justice Bhushan R. Gavai

CJI Kant succeeds Justice Bhushan R. Gavai, who demitted the CJI’s office on Sunday upon attaining the age of 65.

Upholding convention, then CJI Gavai had earlier recommended Justice Kant — the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court — as his successor.

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The President had appointed Justice Kant as the next CJI “in exercise of the powers conferred by clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution”, following the recommendation sent by the outgoing Chief Justice of India.

A Legal Journey from Hisar to the Supreme Court

Born on February 10, 1962, in a middle-class family in Haryana, Justice Surya Kant began his legal practice in Hisar in 1984 before moving to Chandigarh to appear before the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Over the years, he handled a broad range of constitutional, service and civil matters, representing universities, Boards, corporations, banks and even the High Court itself.

He was appointed the youngest Advocate General of Haryana in July 2000, designated a senior advocate in 2001, and elevated as a permanent judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on January 9, 2004.

He later served as Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court from October 2018 until his elevation to the Supreme Court on May 24, 2019.

Since November 2024, he has been serving as Chairman of the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee. He has earlier been a two-term member of the Governing Body of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) and is associated with various judicial and legal service institutions.

In an interaction with the media ahead of assuming charge, the CJI-designate emphasised that reducing pendency in the Supreme Court and courts nationwide would be his foremost priority. One of his first steps, he said, would be to engage with High Courts to identify systemic challenges affecting district and subordinate courts.

Constitution Benches to Be Formed in Coming Weeks

He also announced that Constitution Benches of five, seven and nine judges would be constituted "in the next few weeks" to hear important matters that have been pending for a long time.

Emphasising the need to strengthen alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, Justice Surya Kant said, "Mediation will also be implemented effectively to reduce the burden of millions of cases."

Community mediation, he added, must be encouraged, especially to reduce disputes between state governments and between the Centre and the states.

"A conducive environment must be created for this," he said.

Views on AI Use in Judicial Processes

Asked about the scope of employing AI to reduce the backlog of cases, Justice Surya Kant said that there are many issues and challenges. "It has advantages, but people also have some concerns. It can be used in procedural matters. However, everyone wants their case to be decided by a judge," he said.

Earlier, on October 30, the Centre had cleared Justice Kant’s appointment as the next CJI. “In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Surya Kant, Judge of the Supreme Court of India, to be the Chief Justice of India with effect from November 24, 2025,” the Union Law and Justice Ministry had said in its notification. Justice Kant, who will demit the CJI’s office on February 9, 2027, will have a tenure of about 14 months.

(IANS)