The Central Government has appointed Supreme Court Justice Surya Kant as the 53rd Chief Justice of India (CJI). His journey, rising from a small village in Haryana to the highest judicial office in the country, underscores the value of discipline, wisdom, and education.

Humble Roots and Educational Background

* Birthplace: Justice Surya Kant was born on February 10, 1962, in the small village of Petwar in the Hisar district of Haryana. His father was a Sanskrit teacher, and Surya Kant studied in a government school up to the 8th grade. It is said that the school did not even have benches for seating. This simple background taught him the value of opportunity.

* Legal Education:

* He obtained his LLB degree from Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, in 1984.

* In 2011, he obtained his LLM (Postgraduate Degree in Law) from Kurukshetra University, where he passed with a first division.

Judicial Career Path

* Early Practice: He began his career as a lawyer in the District Courts of Hisar in 1984 and later practiced in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

* Advocate General of Haryana: In 2000, at the age of just 38, he set a record by being appointed as the youngest Advocate General of Haryana.

* High Court Judge: He was appointed as a permanent Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2004.

* Chief Justice: In October 2018, he became the Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court.

* Entry to Supreme Court: In May 2019, he was appointed as a Justice of the Supreme Court of India, the country's apex court.

Key Judgements and Contributions

Throughout his judicial tenure, Justice Surya Kant has delivered several important judgments that reflect both constitutional clarity and human sensitivity.

* Article 370: He was part of the bench that upheld the abrogation of Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

* Sedition Law: He was on the bench that stayed the colonial-era sedition law, a significant step in protecting civil liberties.

* Gender Equality: He directed that reservation should be provided for women advocates in Bar Associations.

Justice Surya Kant is scheduled to take the oath as the 53rd Chief Justice of India on November 24, 2025.