New Delhi, Nov 24 (NationPress) Justice Surya Kant, known for his role in numerous significant rulings, took the oath as the 53rd Chief Justice of India (CJI) on Monday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared his congratulations and offered heartfelt wishes for Justice Kant's upcoming tenure.

Through his social media account on ‘X’, PM Modi stated, “I attended the oath-taking ceremony of Justice Surya Kant as the Chief Justice of India. Wishing him the best for his tenure.”

Earlier that day, President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to Justice Kant at a ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan, located in the national capital. Breaking recent conventions, CJI Kant chose to take the oath in Hindi, invoking the name of God.

The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan, Union ministers, Haryana Chief Minister Naib Singh Saini, as well as judges from the Supreme Court and Chief Justices and judges from various countries including Bhutan, Kenya, Malaysia, Brazil, Mauritius, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.

Justice Kant, now the 53rd CJI, is set for a tenure lasting approximately 14 months, concluding on February 9, 2027.

On October 30, the government approved Justice Kant's appointment to the nation's highest judicial position after the former CJI Bhushan R Gavai nominated him as his successor.

According to a notification from the Union Law and Justice Ministry, “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 effective from November 24, 2025.”

Born on February 10, 1962, in a middle-class family in Haryana, Justice Surya Kant graduated from Government Post Graduate College, Hisar, in 1981 and earned his law degree from Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak, in 1984.

He began his legal career in Hisar in 1984 before shifting to Chandigarh and the Punjab and Haryana High Court the following year.

Throughout his career, he has dealt with a variety of constitutional, service, and civil cases, representing universities, boards, corporations, banks, and even the High Court itself.

Justice Kant was appointed as the youngest Advocate General of Haryana on July 7, 2000, and became a senior advocate in March 2001. He was elevated to 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 5, 2018, until his elevation to the Supreme Court on May 24, 2019. He has been involved with various judicial and legal service institutions.

Justice Kant was part of the Governing Body of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) for two consecutive terms from 2007 to 2011 and is currently a member of several committees at the Indian Law Institute, a deemed university established under the Supreme Court of India. Since November 2024, he has held the position of Chairman of the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee.