The government has appointed Justice Surya Kant as the 53rd Chief Justice of India, the law ministry announced on Thursday. He will take oath on November 24, succeeding Chief Justice Bhushan Gavai. Justice Kant will be the first Chief Justice from Haryana.
From a Village in Hisar to the Supreme Court
Born on February 10, 1962, in Petwar, a small village in Hisar district, Haryana, Justice Kant’s early life was marked by modest beginnings. He attended a local school where students sat on the floor due to a lack of benches.
He graduated from Government Post Graduate College, Hisar, in 1981 and completed his LLB from Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak, in 1984. That same year, he began his legal career at the District Court, Hisar, before moving to Chandigarh in 1985 to practice at the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
A Record-Setting Legal Career
Justice Kant’s rise through the legal ranks was swift. On July 7, 2000, he became the youngest Advocate General of Haryana at 38—a record in the state’s legal history. A year later, in March 2001, he was designated a Senior Advocate.
He was elevated as a Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on January 9, 2004. Alongside his judicial work, he continued his education, earning an LLM from Kurukshetra University in 2011, graduating first class first.
Leadership Roles and Elevation to the Apex Court
In October 2018, Justice Kant was appointed Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court. Less than a year later, on May 24, 2019, he was elevated to the Supreme Court of India.He also served two consecutive terms (2007–2011) on the Governing Body of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), where he played a key role in improving access to justice for underprivileged citizens.
