Justice Surya Kant Takes Charge as 53rd Chief Justice of India Today: All You Need to Know

Justice Surya Kant has formally assumed office as the 53rd Chief Justice of India after taking the oath today, beginning his 14-month term as head of the judiciary.

President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath at Rashtrapati Bhavan, completing the transition from former CJI Bhushan R. Gavai, who retired on Sunday.

Journey From Haryana to the Supreme Court

Born on February 10, 1962, in a middle-class family in Haryana, Justice Surya Kant began his legal practice in Hisar in 1984 before shifting to Chandigarh. Over the years, he handled a wide range of constitutional, service and civil cases, representing universities, boards, corporations, banks and even the High Court.

He became the youngest Advocate General of Haryana in July 2000, was designated a senior advocate in 2001 and was elevated as a permanent judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on January 9, 2004. He later served as Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court from October 2018 until his elevation to the Supreme Court on May 24, 2019. Since November 2024, he has chaired the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee.

Priorities Set After Taking Charge

Soon after assuming office, Justice Surya Kant reaffirmed that reducing pendency across courts would be his top priority. He said he would begin by working closely with all High Courts to understand the challenges faced by district and subordinate courts.

He also confirmed that Constitution Benches of five, seven and nine judges will be constituted in the coming weeks to take up long pending constitutional matters.

Push for Mediation and Alternative Resolution

Justice Surya Kant emphasised the need to strengthen mediation across all levels of the judiciary. "Mediation will also be implemented effectively to reduce the burden of millions of cases," he said. Community mediation, he added, must be encouraged to address disputes between state governments and between the Centre and the states. "A conducive environment must be created for this," he said.

Views on Artificial Intelligence in Courts

On the use of AI to ease pendency, he acknowledged both its advantages and its limitations. "It has advantages, but people also have some concerns. It can be used in procedural matters. However, everyone wants their case to be decided by a judge," he said.

The Scale of the Challenge

According to the National Judicial Data Grid, Indian courts face a staggering load of 5.29 crore pending cases. These include 4.65 crore in district and subordinate courts, 63.30 lakh in High Courts and 86,742 before the Supreme Court.

Justice Surya Kant now begins his tenure with a clear roadmap focused on efficiency, reform and timely justice.