New Delhi: Justice Surya Kant is set to be sworn in on Monday as the 53rd Chief Justice of India (CJI), beginning a 14-month tenure at the helm of the country’s judiciary.
President Droupadi Murmu will administer the oath of office to Justice Kant, who will succeed the current CJI, Bhushan R. Gavai. The appointment was made under the powers granted by clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution, following a recommendation from Justice Gavai.
Justice Gavai will step down on Sunday upon reaching the age of 65, upholding the convention of naming the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court as his successor.
Born on 10 February 1962 in Haryana to a middle-class family, Justice Surya Kant began practicing law in Hisar in 1984. He later moved to Chandigarh to practice before the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Throughout his career, he dealt with a wide array of constitutional, service and civil cases, representing universities, corporations, boards, banks, and even the High Court itself.
He was appointed the youngest Advocate General of Haryana in July 2000 and designated a senior advocate in 2001. On 9 January 2004, he became a permanent judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Justice Kant served as Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court from October 2018 until his elevation to the Supreme Court on 24 May 2019.
Since November 2024, he has chaired the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee.
In a media interaction on Saturday prior to assuming office, the Chief Justice-designate said his primary focus would be reducing the backlog of cases in the Supreme Court and courts nationwide.
He stated that a key early initiative would involve engaging with all High Courts to identify issues impairing the functioning of district and subordinate courts.
Justice Kant also announced that Constitution Benches of five, seven, and nine judges would be constituted “in the next few weeks” to hear significant cases that have remained pending for extended periods.
Highlighting the importance of alternative dispute resolution, he said, “Mediation will also be implemented effectively to reduce the burden of millions of cases.” He advocated encouraging community mediation, particularly to resolve disputes between state governments and between the Centre and states.
“A conducive environment must be created for this,” he emphasised.
When asked about utilising artificial intelligence to alleviate case backlogs, Justice Kant acknowledged the complexities, saying, “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.”
Official data from the National Judicial Data Grid, up to 21 July, reveals the Indian judiciary is burdened with 52.9 million pending cases: 46.5 million in district and subordinate courts, 6.33 million in High Courts, and 86,742 in the Supreme Court.
(Inputs from IANS)