CJI BR Gavai recommends Justice Surya Kant as next CJI: Who is he and what are his key judgments?
Kant is the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, and will assume office upon CJI Gavai's retirement on November 23. He will become the 53rd Chief Justice of India, and his date of retirement is February 9, 2027.
New Delhi: Chief Justice of India (CJI) Bhushan R Gavai has started the process of appointing his successor by recommending Justice Surya Kant as the next-in-line to the Centre. For Kant, the recommendation comes after a long and successful career as a judge.
Kant is the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, and will assume office upon CJI Gavai’s retirement on November 23. He will become the 53rd Chief Justice of India, and his date of retirement is February 9, 2027. On October 23, the Centre asked CJI Gavai to name his successor in accordance with established convention.
Justice Surya Kant: A judge known for his fairness
Justice Surya Kant was born on February 10, 1962, in Haryana's Hisar. He hails from a middle class family and did his graduation from a college in Hisar. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Law in 1984, and in the same year, he started practicing law at the District Court in Hisar.
In 1985, he started practicing in the Punjab and Haryana High Court and he is specialised in Constitutional, Service, and Civil matters. On July 7, 2000, he became Haryana's youngest Advocate General. In 2004, he was made a permanent judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. In October 2018, he assumed charge of the office of the Chief Justice of the High Court of Himachal Pradesh. He became a judge of the Supreme Court of India on May 24, 2019.
What are some landmark judgments of Kant?
Justice Surya Kant is known for his judicial temperament and deep sense of fairness. He is famous in the legal fraternity of India for his judicial integrity and astuteness. He has given landmark verdicts on abrogation of Article 370, free speech, corruption, environment, and gender equality, and was part of the bench that kept the colonial-era sedition law in abeyance. He is a member of the Governing Body of the National Legal Services Authority.