Justice Surya Kant To Succeed DY Chandrachud as 53rd Chief Justice of India
Roshni Yadav31 Oct, 2025
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Justice Surya Kant has been appointed as the 53rd Chief Justice of India. He will take office on November 24, 2025, after Chief Justice DY Chandrachud retires, and will serve until February 9, 2027.
Chief Justice BR Gavai recommended Justice Surya Kant, the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, as his successor. The appointment was announced by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on X, who wrote, “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.” He also conveyed his “heartiest congratulations and best wishes” to Justice Kant.
Justice Surya Kant served as Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court
Justice Kant, from Haryana, served as Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court and as a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court before his elevation to the Supreme Court in May 2019. He has been part of Constitution Bench cases and major rulings on governance, environment, and constitutional law. As Chief Justice, he will lead the Supreme Court for over 14 months, during which key constitutional cases, including those on electoral reforms and digital privacy, are expected to be heard.
Justice Surya Kant was born in Hisar, Haryana
Justice Kant was born on February 10, 1962, in Hisar, Haryana. He graduated from Government Post Graduate College, Hisar, in 1981 and earned his law degree in 1984 from Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak. He began his legal career at the Hisar District Court in 1984 and moved to the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 1985.
He became a Senior Advocate in March 2001 and served as Advocate General of Haryana before being appointed a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on January 9, 2004. He became Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court on October 5, 2018, and joined the Supreme Court in May 2019. Chief Justice DY Chandrachud will retire on November 23, 2025.