Justice Surya Kant was sworn in as the 53rd Chief Justice of India on Monday, embarking on a tenure set to last nearly 15 months until his retirement on 9 February 2027. The judge, known for his landmark verdicts, immediately outlined his primary mission: a strategic assault on the massive backlog of cases plaguing the Indian judiciary.
A Tenure Focused on Tackling Pendency
Outlining his priorities, the new CJI declared that his administration would concentrate on developing a robust strategy to reduce the pendency of approximately 90,000 cases in the Supreme Court and a staggering 5 crore cases across various High Courts and district courts. He emphasized that the listing of long-pending 'bunch cases'—where thousands of cases raising similar legal questions are deferred by High Courts awaiting Supreme Court verdicts—would receive top priority.
Unswayed by Social Media and Driven by Facts
In remarks made ahead of his oath-taking ceremony, Justice Kant addressed the challenge of social media, stating he remains largely unaffected by trolls who attempt to misrepresent or selectively extract court observations. "I think an overwhelming majority of judges would not be affected by social media trolls as they decide cases based on facts and law," he told the media, confirming he has never felt pressured by online campaigns or motivated reporting.
A Distinguished Judicial Career
Justice Surya Kant's journey to the apex judicial office is a story of remarkable ascent. Born on 10 February 1962 in a middle-class family in Hisar, Haryana, he rose from being a small-town lawyer to the Chief Justice of India. His academic excellence is highlighted by his achievement of standing 'first class first' in his Master’s degree in law from Kurukshetra University in 2011.
His judicial career is marked by several verdicts and orders of national importance. He was part of the constitutional bench that upheld the abrogation of Article 370, which revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. In a significant move for free speech, he was on the bench that effectively put the colonial-era sedition law in abeyance, halting new FIRs under the statute.
His judgments have consistently championed progressive causes. He reinstated a woman sarpanch who was unlawfully removed, calling out the gender bias in the case. He is also credited with directing the reservation of one-third of seats in bar associations, including the Supreme Court Bar Association, for women.
In other notable interventions, Justice Kant nudged the Election Commission to disclose details of 65 lakh voters excluded from the draft electoral rolls in Bihar. He upheld the One Rank-One Pension (OROP) scheme for defence forces as constitutionally valid and was part of the bench that appointed a committee to probe the security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2022 Punjab visit.
Furthermore, he was on the seven-judge bench that overruled the 1967 Aligarh Muslim University judgment, paving the way for a reconsideration of the institution's minority status. In the Pegasus spyware case, the bench he was part of appointed a panel of cyber experts to probe allegations of unlawful surveillance, asserting that the state cannot get a "free pass under the guise of national security."
The Road Ahead
Succeeding Justice B R Gavai, Chief Justice Surya Kant's tenure until February 2027 is poised to be a period of significant judicial activity. With a clear focus on reducing the colossal case backlog and a proven record of delivering consequential judgments, the Indian judiciary enters a new chapter under his leadership.
