Justice Surya Kant’s inspiring rise from Hisar to India’s 53rd Chief Justice highlights a career built on merit, integrity, and constitutional vision. His landmark judgments span free speech, gender justice, national security, and judicial accountability.
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NEW DELHI: India is set to witness a historic moment next month when Justice Surya Kant takes charge as the 53rd Chief Justice of India (CJI). His appointment is not just another transition in the country’s judicial leadership; it marks the rise of a man who has climbed to the top not through privilege or family legacy, but through sheer dedication and brilliance.
Born in a small village in Haryana’s Hisar district, Justice Surya Kant will become the first-ever Haryanvi to occupy the office of the CJI when he takes over on November 24. He will remain in office until February 9, 2027.
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Justice Surya Kant’s early years were spent in Petwar, a remote agrarian village where electricity was scarce and educational facilities were minimal. He studied in a village school that lacked basic classroom furniture, and after school hours, he worked in the fields to support his family, like many rural children of his generation.
He has openly shared that the first town he visited was Hansi, and that too not for sightseeing, but to appear for his Class X board exams. Late-night study sessions under weak lamps and the hope of building a better life were the fuel that kept him going.
From those modest beginnings emerged a student of great promise. After completing his schooling in Petwar, he went on to study law at Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU), Rohtak, earning his LLB in 1984.
His legal practice began at the Hisar district court, but his talent soon propelled him to Chandigarh, where he established himself in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Justice Surya Kant’s judicial work has consistently reflected empathy along with strong constitutional reasoning. Some of his most notable contributions include:
- Recognizing conjugal rights and reproductive access (including artificial insemination) for prisoners
- Decisions emphasizing fair compensation in land acquisition cases
- Strong judicial protection of public resources and social reservations
- Focus on the rights of victims in criminal matters
A striking example of his compassionate approach came in a homicide case, where, while delivering punishment to the guilty husband, he took personal initiative to ensure that the eldest daughter of the victim received free higher education.
As a judge on the full bench during the Dera Sacha Sauda unrest in 2017, he played a key role in ordering the sanitisation of the premises and calling for a central investigation into reported financial irregularities.
During his tenure as Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, he became known for:
- Pushing administrative transparency
- Improving judicial efficiency and disposal rates
- Reaffirming that access to essential amenities is part of the fundamental right to life
In the Supreme Court, he has been part of multiple landmark verdicts and is widely regarded for his balanced, scholarly, and restrained judicial style.
A Jurist Who Has Shaped Major Constitutional Debates
Justice Surya Kant’s record in the Supreme Court reflects his involvement in some of the most defining legal issues of recent years. He was part of the bench that upheld the abrogation of Article 370 and took a central role in judgments relating to citizenship and the limits of free expression. His approach has often balanced individual liberty with constitutional responsibility.
He was also among the judges who froze the colonial-era sedition law, ordering that no new criminal cases be lodged under it until the government completed its review, a landmark move widely seen as a defence of civil freedoms.
One of the most closely watched matters he participated in is the presidential reference on the powers of governors and the president when dealing with state legislation, an upcoming verdict that carries major implications for federal relations.
Throughout his tenure, Justice Kant has emerged as a strong voice for gender equality. He reinstated a woman sarpanch who was wrongfully removed from office, highlighting clear prejudice behind the action. He also directed that one-third of seats in bar associations, including the Supreme Court Bar Association, be reserved for women, a decision that has reshaped conversations on representation within the legal community.
Beyond this, he ordered the government to create a legal framework to protect domestic workers, bringing national attention to a workforce that has long existed without statutory safeguards.
Justice Kant’s free-speech rulings have consistently maintained that liberty cannot become a shield for abuse. He cautioned influencers and public personalities for derogatory remarks and asked the Centre to develop guidelines for regulating online content, particularly after comedians were found mocking persons with disabilities. His stance underscores that public communication carries social responsibility — especially for those with large audiences.
In the Pegasus spyware scandal, Justice Kant rejected the government’s blanket claim of “national security,” stressing that such arguments cannot automatically override judicial oversight. Similarly, he was part of the bench that appointed a committee headed by Justice Indu Malhotra to investigate the security breach during the Prime Minister’s 2022 Punjab visit, remarking that issues of such seriousness require an impartial, judicially trained evaluation.
Justice Kant has consistently taken a tough view of corruption, calling it a “threat to society”, and in 2023 ordered a CBI investigation into 28 cases involving alleged collusion between banks and real-estate developers that caused massive loss to homebuyers.
His rulings also reflect an effort to balance security with environmental and social concerns, as seen in the Char Dham highway project decision, where he upheld the project for its strategic value while insisting on ecological safeguards.
He has also heard matters involving the defence forces, from upholding One Rank One Pension (OROP) to reviewing claims of gender discrimination in the Permanent Commission for women officers.
Since joining the Supreme Court in 2019, Justice Surya Kant has sat on over 300 benches handling core areas of criminal, constitutional, and administrative law. He was also part of the seven-judge bench that revisited the 1967 ruling on Aligarh Muslim University’s minority status.
As he prepares to take charge as Chief Justice of India, he will inherit a judiciary grappling with a backlog nearing 90,000 cases, widespread digitisation needs, and deep debates on privacy, technology, and federalism, making his upcoming term one of the most important in recent memory.
About Justice Surya Kant
Early Life and Education
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 LLB degree from Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak, in 1984.
Legal Career
He began his legal career at the District Court in Hisar in 1984, later moving to Chandigarh to practice at the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He specialized in constitutional, service, and civil law, representing universities, corporations, and even the High Court itself.
In July 2000, he was appointed as the Advocate General of Haryana, becoming one of the youngest persons to hold that position. He was designated as a Senior Advocate in March 2001 and was elevated as a Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on January 9, 2004.
Judicial Career and Appointments
- Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court: Appointed on October 5, 2018
- Judge of the Supreme Court of India: Elevated on May 24, 2019
- Chairman, Supreme Court Legal Services Committee: Since November 12, 2024
- Due to retire: February 9, 2027
He has also served as a member of the Governing Body of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) and is associated with the Indian Law Institute, a deemed university under the Supreme Court.
Justice Surya Kant has often reflected on the judiciary’s evolving role in democracy:
“Courts deepen democracy when they act to empower the powerless, grounded in constitutional text and moral clarity.”
In speeches at Seattle University and the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka, he defended the collegium system as essential to preserving judicial autonomy and highlighted the need for inclusive use of technology in the justice system
“The heart of justice must remain human,”
he said.
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