53rd Chief Justice of India: Justice Surya Kant, who has been part of several landmark verdicts and orders on the abrogation of Article 370, the revision of Bihar’s electoral rolls, and the Pegasus spyware case, took oath on Monday as the 53rd Chief Justice of India.
He succeeded Justice BR Gavai, who demitted office on November 23 as the 52nd Chief Justice of India.
Justice Kant was appointed as the next CJI on October 30 and will remain in office for nearly 15 months. He will demit office on February 9, 2027, upon turning 65.
Express photo by Renuka Puri.
Who is Justice Surya Kant?
Born on February 10, 1962, in Haryana’s Hisar district to a middle-class family, Justice Kant rose from being a small-town lawyer to one of India’s most respected jurists, contributing to several nationally significant and constitutionally important verdicts.
Justice Surya Kant also holds the distinction of securing first class first in his Master’s degree in law from Kurukshetra University in 2011.
Before his elevation to the Supreme Court, Justice Kant authored several notable judgments in the Punjab and Haryana High Court and went on to serve as the Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court from October 5, 2018. His tenure in the Supreme Court has been marked by significant rulings on the abrogation of Article 370, free speech, and citizenship rights.
Express photo by Renuka Puri
He also pushed the Election Commission to disclose details of the 65 lakh voters excluded from Bihar’s draft electoral rolls while hearing petitions challenging the poll panel’s decision to conduct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the poll-bound state.
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In a judgment underscoring grassroots democracy and gender justice, he led a bench that reinstated a woman sarpanch who had been unlawfully removed from office, highlighting the gender bias involved.
Justice Kant is further credited with directing that one-third of seats in bar associations, including the Supreme Court Bar Association, be reserved for women.
(with inputs from PTI)
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