Justice Surya Kant assumes charge as 53rd Chief Justice of India

Guwahati: President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to Justice Surya Kant as the 53rd Chief Justice of India (CJI) at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday.

Justice Kant will serve as the country’s top judge until February 9, 2027, giving him a tenure of a little over 14 months.

The swearing-in ceremony took place at the historic Ganatantra Mandap, previously known as the Durbar Hall.

After taking the oath, Justice Kant greeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. His predecessor, Justice B.R. Gavai, congratulated him with a warm embrace.

In the days leading up to his elevation, Justice Kant highlighted the mounting backlog of cases in the Supreme Court as his biggest challenge.

With more than 90,000 cases pending, he stressed that mediation could play a transformative role in reducing arrears.

Justice Kant, who joined the Supreme Court in May 2019, has been part of several crucial and politically significant rulings.

Last week, he joined the five-judge bench that ruled the Supreme Court cannot impose timelines on governors or the president for action on pending Bills, nor treat delayed Bills as having received “deemed assent”.

He currently heads the bench examining petitions challenging the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in various states and Union Territories.

While hearing the matter related to Bihar, his bench allowed the revision drive to continue, but permitted citizens to file objections using Aadhaar.

The court also directed the Election Commission to publish the list of roughly 65 lakh voters excluded from the draft roll.

Earlier this year, Justice Kant granted bail to political scientist Ali Khan Mahmudabad in a Haryana police case concerning his social media posts on Operation Sindoor and comments on the government’s messaging on religious unity.

During the hearing, the judge also ordered the formation of a special investigation team to examine the remarks, noting that the professor appeared to be seeking “cheap popularity” amid a sensitive situation.

Justice Kant has also contributed to several other high-profile matters, including bail to YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia, the Supreme Court’s landmark decision upholding the reading down of Article 370 while directing assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, and the court’s proceedings on the Pegasus spyware controversy involving journalists and opposition leaders.

Before his elevation to the Supreme Court, Justice Kant served as Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court between 2018 and 2019. The Hisar-born judge earlier spent several years on the Punjab and Haryana High Court bench.