Justice Surya Kant on Monday took oath as the 53rd Chief Justice of India. President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath at Rashtrapati Bhavan in News Delhi, with Kant succeeding Justice BR Gavai, who retired on Sunday.After being appointed under Article 124(2) of the Constitution on the recommendation of former CJI BR Gavai, Justice Kant has now formally taken charge.

Born on February 10, 1962, in Haryana, Justice Kant began his legal career in Hisar in 1984 before moving to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, where he handled a broad range of constitutional, civil and service matters and represented several institutions and government bodies. He went on to become Haryana’s youngest Advocate General in 2000, was designated a senior advocate in 2001, and was elevated as a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2004.

He later served as Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court before his elevation to the Supreme Court in May 2019 and has been chairing the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee since November 2024. Before taking the oath, CJI Kant said reducing judicial pendency would be his top priority. He said he would hold consultations with High Courts to identify challenges in the functioning of district and subordinate courts. 

Justice Kant also said Constitution Benches of five, seven and nine judges would be constituted “in the next few weeks" to take up long-pending matters. He stressed strengthening mediation and other alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to ease the courts’ burden. Community mediation, he said, should be encouraged to address disputes between states and with the Centre.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)