New Delhi, Nov 24 (IANS) President Droupadi Murmu on Monday administered the oath of office to Justice Surya Kant as the Chief Justice of India (CJI) in a swearing-in ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in the national Capital. In a significant departure from recent tradition, CJI Kant took the oath in Hindi, taking the name of God.

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

Justice Kant, the 53rd CJI, will have a tenure of about 14 months, and he will demit office on February 9, 2027.

On October 30, the Centre cleared the appointment of Justice Kant to the highest judicial office of the country after then CJI Bhushan R Gavai had recommended him as his successor.

“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.

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

He began his legal practice in Hisar in 1984 and moved to Chandigarh the following year to practise before the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

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

He was appointed as the youngest Advocate General of Haryana on July 7, 2000, and was designated a senior advocate in March 2001. He was elevated as a permanent judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on January 9, 2004.

Justice Kant went on to serve 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 also been associated with various judicial and legal service institutions.

He served as a member of the Governing Body of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) for two consecutive terms between 2007 and 2011 and currently serves on several committees of the Indian Law Institute, a deemed university functioning under the Supreme Court of India. Since November 2024, he has been the Chairman of the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee.

–IANS

pds/rad