For the businessman, see Surya Kant (businessman).

Surya Kant
Official portrait, 2025
53rd Chief Justice of India
Incumbent
Assumed office
24 November 2025
Appointed by Droupadi Murmu
Preceded by B. R. Gavai
Judge of Supreme Court of India
In office
24 May 2019 – 23 November 2025
Nominated by Ranjan Gogoi
Appointed by Ram Nath Kovind
23rd Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court
In office
5 October 2018 – 23 May 2019
Nominated by Dipak Misra
Appointed by Ram Nath Kovind
Preceded by
  • Mansoor Ahmad Mir
  • Sanjay Karol (acting)
Succeeded by V. Ramasubramanian
Judge of Punjab and Haryana High Court
In office
9 January 2004 – 4 October 2018
Nominated by V. N. Khare
Appointed by A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
Advocate-General of Haryana
In office
7 July 2000 – 8 January 2004
Appointed by Babu Parmanand
Chief Minister
  • Om Prakash Chautala
Preceded by Manmohan Lal Sarin
Succeeded by Ashok Aggarwal
Personal details
Born Surya Kant Sharma
(1962-02-10) 10 February 1962 (age 64)
Petwar [hi], Haryana, India
Alma mater
  • Govt. Post Graduate College, Hisar (B.A.)
  • Maharishi Dayanand University (LL.B.)
  • Kurukshetra University (LL.M.)

Surya Kant Sharma (born 10 February 1962) is an Indian judge who has served as the 53rd Chief Justice of India since November 2025.[1][2][3][4] Prior to his elevation as judge, Kant was a Senior Advocate and also served as the Advocate General for Haryana. He is also the visitor of National University of Study and Research in Law, Ranchi.[5] Furthermore, he is the ex officio patron-in-chief of National Legal Services Authority.

Early life and education

Surya Kant Sharma was born on 10 February 1962, in Petwar [hi], Haryana, into a middle class family.[6][7][8] His father, Madan Gopal Sharma, was a Sanskrit teacher.[9][10] He graduated in (B.A. in Geography) from the Government Post Graduate College, Hisar in 1981 and earned his Bachelor of Laws from Maharishi Dayanand University in 1984. He stood First Class First in his Master of Laws from Kurukshetra University.[11][12] On 7 July 2000 he became the youngest Advocate General of Haryana.[13]

Career

Kant was the youngest Advocate General of Haryana. He was made a judge of the Punjab & Haryana High Court on 9 January 2004[14] Kant was nominated as a member of the National Legal Services Authority on 23 February 2007 for two consecutive terms. Kant organised and attended several prestigious conferences. On 5 October 2018, he took oath as the Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court.[15][16] On 9 May 2019, the Supreme Court collegium headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi recommended his elevation to the Supreme Court of India. On 24 May 2019, Kant took oath as a judge of the Supreme Court, a position he served until 23 November 2025.[17][18][19][20]

Kant took oath as the 53rd Chief Justice of India (CJI) on 24 November 2025 during a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.[21][22][23]

Notable judgements

Kant has delivered numerous judgements on human rights, gender justice, education and prison reforms inter alia. During his tenure at the Punjab and Haryana High Court, he delivered the Jasvir Singh judgement, directing the State of Punjab to form a Jail Reforms Committee for creating a scheme for enabling conjugal and family visits for jail inmates keeping in mind the beneficial nature and reformatory goals of such amenities.[24]

Kant's involvement in the high-profile India's Got Latent case drew a lot of attention. The case stemmed from a controversy surrounding Indian comedian Ranveer Allahabadia, who was a participant in the comedy talent show India's Got Latent. During the show, Allahabadia posed a question to a contestant: "Would you rather watch your parents have sex every day for the rest of your life or join in once to make it stop forever?"[25] The remark ignited a nationwide controversy, before it ultimately reached the Supreme Court. Kant, serving on the case, expressed strong disapproval of Allahabadia's remarks. During the hearing, he said that he knew how to "deal" with "youngsters who think we are outdated" and criticised them for "being oversmart." He asserted that "there is nothing like a fundamental right on a platter," and added that citizens must fulfill their "duty" in order to enjoy their fundamental rights.[26][27][28][29]

Justice Kant has been involved in several important decisions of the Supreme Court such as[30]

  • Abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution which removed the special status to the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir.
  • He was appointed in the initial 3-judge bench with CJI Bobde and Justice B. R. Gavai in 2020, hearing the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition, made by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in 2018, against the constitutionality of the Electoral bonds scheme.[31]
  • Pegasus Project revelations in India case
  • Suspension of the sedition law.
  • 16th Presidential Reference
  • Article 212(1) does not put an embargo on ‘Legislative Decision’ [32]

Controversies

In 2019, Kant was alleged to have involved in illegal property dealings, undervaluation, and cash transactions worth crores in 2012 along with a real-estate agent named Satish Kumar Jain. This claim was supported by sale deeds for four properties, two of which were obtained by Jain on behalf of Kant but never paid for. Jain also helped sell "benami" properties for Kant which were undervalued on paper and for which cash deals were made. In 2017, a Punjab prisoner filed complaints that Kant sought bribes to grant bail.[33]

On 15 May 2026, Kant faced criticism after stating during a Supreme Court hearing that some unemployed youngsters become "cockroaches" and "parasites" who attack institutions through social media activism and litigation. The remarks, made while hearing a petition concerning the designation of senior advocates by the Delhi High Court, drew backlash from critics who described the language as inappropriate and insensitive.[34] A satirical political movement called Cockroach Janta Party making direct reference to the remarks was founded on the following day.[35] Later, Kant clarified that his comments were actually about those who had have taken up the professions such as law and media with "fake and bogus degrees" and expressed that he held "immense respect" to the youth.[36]

References

  1. ^ "Who is Justice Surya Kant?: The making of the 53rd Chief Justice". Supreme Court Observer. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
  2. ^ "CJI Gavai recommends Justice Surya Kant as next Chief Justice of India". www.newindianexpress.com. 27 October 2025. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  3. ^ "Justice Surya Kant appointed as the 53rd Chief Justice of India". thehindu.com. 30 October 2025.
  4. ^ "Justice Surya Kant sworn in as 53rd Chief Justice of India". thehindu.com. 24 November 2025.
  5. ^ "General Council". NUSRL. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  6. ^ Arora, Vijay (24 May 2019). "Full court reference for Justice Kant". The Tribune.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  7. ^ Jain, Ritika (9 May 2019). "SC collegium's two new judge picks set to give India its second Dalit chief justice". ThePrint. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  8. ^ "Who is Justice Surya Kant, the 53rd Chief Justice of India?". The Hindu. 24 November 2025. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  9. ^ "Hon'ble Mr. Justice Surya Kant". Advocate General, Government of Haryana. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  10. ^ "Justice Surya Kant: From Humble Roots in Haryana's Hisar to India's 53rd Chief Justice". 30 October 2025.
  11. ^ "Hon'ble Mr. Justice Surya Kant, Chief Justice". hphighcourt.nic.in. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  12. ^ "Justice Surya Kant appointed Chief Justice of HP High Court". thestatesman.com. 3 October 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  13. ^ "CJI-designate Surya Kant: A man of many firsts". Hindustan Times. 28 October 2025. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  14. ^ Rajagopal, Krishnadas (24 November 2025). "Justice Surya Kant sworn in as 53rd Chief Justice of India". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  15. ^ "Justice Surya Kant appointed as the chief justice of Himachal HC". 4 October 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  16. ^ "Justice Surya Kant appointed Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court". The Indian Express. 4 October 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  17. ^ "Hon'ble Judges". Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  18. ^ "Hon'ble Mr. Justice Surya Kant's Profile". Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  19. ^ "Modi govt clears name of judge as Himachal chief justice after stalling for 9 months". ThePrint. 3 October 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  20. ^ Rautray, Samanwaya (10 May 2019). "SC Collegium reiterates names of Justices Bose, Bopanna for elevation to apex court". The Economic Times. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  21. ^ https://www.jagran.com/news/national-justice-surya-kant-taken-oath-as-53-cji-40049514.html
  22. ^ https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/on-day-1-cji-kant-cancels-same-day-mention-practice-101764010519866.html
  23. ^ https://theleaflet.in/leaflet-reports/cji-surya-kant-takes-the-mantle-as-indias-53rd-chief-justice
  24. ^ "High Court tells Punjab, Haryana to form jail reforms panels". 7 January 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  25. ^ Mollan, Cherylann (19 February 2025). "YouTuber's 'dirty' comments spark massive row in India". BBC.
  26. ^ Mukherjee, Oindrila (3 March 2025). "'Youngsters May Think We're Outdated…': SC In Ranveer Allahbadia Hearing". CNN-News18.
  27. ^ "BeerBiceps Row: SC Says Fundamental Rights Not Provided on 'Platter'; Suggests Draft Regulations". The Wire (India). 3 March 2025.
  28. ^ "Allahbadia row: Nothing like fundamental right on platter, says SC on 'free speech' limits". Deccan Herald. 3 March 2025.
  29. ^ "'Maybe my time is bad, but I am time': 'Oversmart' Samay Raina's Canada joke draws Supreme Court's ire". The Indian Express. 3 March 2025.
  30. ^ Rajagopal, Krishnadas (24 November 2025). "Justice Surya Kant sworn in as 53rd Chief Justice of India". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  31. ^ "Petition against electoral bonds to be heard on 20 January". Hindustan Times.
  32. ^ "Sunil Kumar Singh v. Bihar Legislative Council & Ors. (2025)". Drishti Judiciary. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  33. ^ Dev, A. (30 January 2019). "Courting Controversy". Caravan.
  34. ^ https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/jobless-cockroaches-attack-the-system-cji-surya-kant/articleshow/131127870.cms
  35. ^ "CJI may clarify but Cockroach Janata Party is ready for dissent, one laugh at a time". Archived from the original on 20 May 2026. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
  36. ^ "Youth are pillars of country, remarks aimed at those with 'fake' degrees: CJI Surya Kant". The Hindu. 16 May 2026. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 22 May 2026.