Justice Surya Kant sworn in as the 53rd Chief Justice of India 

Justice Surya Kant was sworn in as the 53rd Chief Justice of India on Monday, succeeding Justice BR Gavai. President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office at Rashtrapati Bhavan, marking the start of Justice Kant's tenure as the head of the Supreme Court.

His term will last nearly 15 months, ending with his retirement in February 2027 upon reaching the age of 65. Justice Kant comes to the position with a record of important rulings and leadership in key judicial investigations.

Justice Kant began his legal career in Hisar, Haryana, and earned top honours in his Master’s in Law from Kurukshetra University in 2011. Before joining the Supreme Court, he served as Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court and worked extensively at the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

During his time in the Supreme Court, Justice Kant took part in major constitutional cases, including the abrogation of Article 370, which ended Jammu and Kashmir's special status. He also contributed to decisions on citizenship rights, free speech, and electoral reforms. He was on a seven-judge bench that overturned the 1967 ruling on Aligarh Muslim University’s minority status.

Justice Kant has been active in promoting gender justice and local democracy. He reinstated a woman sarpanch who was unlawfully removed and directed that one-third of seats in bar associations, including the Supreme Court Bar Association, be reserved for women.

His judicial work also covered the armed forces, where he was part of the bench upholding the One Rank-One Pension scheme. He continues to hear petitions from women officers seeking equal permanent commission, highlighting his focus on equality in the services.

As Chief Justice, he has overseen high-profile cases like the Pegasus spyware investigation. He stressed that the government cannot claim immunity under national security to avoid accountability. He also helped form a five-member panel led by Justice Indu Malhotra to investigate the 2022 security breach during the Prime Minister’s visit to Punjab.

Justice Kant has pushed for transparency in elections, urging the Election Commission to release details of 6.5 million voters excluded from Bihar’s draft electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision exercise. He was involved in a presidential reference on the powers of the Governor and President in handling state bills, showing his role in matters with national impact.

He was also part of the bench that suspended the colonial-era sedition law, directing the government to stop new FIRs until the law is reviewed.