Justice Surya Kant appointed next CJI

Justice Surya Kant was on Thursday appointed as the 53rd Chief Justice of India and will assume charge on November 24. The Department of Justice in the Union Law Ministry issued a notification announcing his appointment. Justice Surya Kant succeeds Justice Bhushan R Gavai, who demits office on November 23.Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal announced the appointment on X.

In exercise of the powers conferred by the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Surya Kant, Judge of the Supreme Court of India as the Chief Justice of India with effect from 24th November, 2025.

I convey my heartiest congratulations and best… pic.twitter.com/3X0XFd1Uc9

— Arjun Ram Meghwal (@arjunrammeghwal) October 30, 2025

Justice Surya Kant, who was elevated to the Supreme Court on May 24, 2019, will serve a 14-month tenure before retiring on February 9, 2027. The retirement age for Supreme Court judges is 65 years.Born on 10th February, 1962 at Haryana's Hisar in a middle-class family, Justice Surya Kant graduated from Government Post Graduate College, Hisar in 1981. He has earned Bachelor’s degree in Law in 1984 from Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak.
He started practising Law at the District Court, Hisar in 1984 and then shifted to Chandigarh in 1985 to practice in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Justice Surya Kant has specialised in Constitutional, Service and Civil matters. Represented a number of Universities, Boards, Corporations, Banks and also the High Court itself. He earned distinction of being appointed the youngest Advocate General of Haryana on July 7, 2000. Justice Surya Kant was designated as a Senior Advocate in March 2001. He then held the office of Advocate General, Haryana, till his elevation as a permanent Judge to the Punjab and Haryana High Court on January 09, 2004.