Justice Surya Kant will be the next Chief Justice of India (CJI) of India. The current CJI Bhushan R Gavai on Monday initiated the process for appointing his successor by recommending Justice Kant, the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, to the Union government.
Justice Kant will assume office following Justice Gavai’s retirement on November 23. Once the government issues the official notification, Justice Kant will become the 53rd Chief Justice of India, with a tenure extending until his retirement on February 9, 2027, a period of nearly 14 months.
CJI Bhushan R Gavai Retirement
According to reports, CJI Gavai is expected to soon hand over a copy of his recommendation letter to Justice Kant. The move follows a communication sent by the Union government to the Chief Justice on October 23, requesting him to recommend his successor as per the established convention.
Justice Gavai, who assumed office as the 52nd Chief Justice of India in May 2025, followed the customary process under which the law ministry writes to the sitting CJI a little over a month before retirement to seek the name of the next in line by seniority. The Chief Justice then formally forwards the recommendation to the government.
Justice Surya Kant Appointment Procedure
Under the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) governing judicial appointments and transfers, the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court considered fit for the position is appointed as the Chief Justice of India.
Following CJI Gavai’s recommendation, the government is expected to issue a notification shortly, officially appointing Justice Surya Kant as the next Chief Justice of India with effect from November 24.
Who is Justice Surya Kant?
Justice Surya Kant, who will become the first person from Haryana to hold the country’s top judicial office, has had a remarkable career.
He began his career as a lawyer and was appointed as the youngest Advocate General of Haryana at the age of 38. In 2004, at 42, he was elevated as a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Even after joining the judiciary, he continued his academic pursuits, earning a first-class master’s degree in law from Kurukshetra University’s Directorate of Distance Education in 2011.
After more than 14 years as a high court judge, Justice Kant was appointed Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court in October 2018. Less than a year later, on May 24, 2019, he was elevated to the Supreme Court.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
