The Central government on Thursday announced the appointment of Supreme Court judge Justice Surya Kant as the next Chief Justice of India (CJI). He will take over from Justice B.R. Gavai, who retires on November 23, 2025.
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal confirmed the development on X, stating that the President had approved the appointment. “In exercise of the powers conferred by the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Surya Kant, Judge of the Supreme Court of India, as the Chief Justice of India with effect from 24th November, 2025,” Meghwal said, extending his congratulations.
In exercise of the powers conferred by the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Surya Kant, Judge of the Supreme Court of India as the Chief Justice of India with effect from 24th November, 2025.
I convey my heartiest congratulations and best… pic.twitter.com/3X0XFd1Uc9— Arjun Ram Meghwal (@arjunrammeghwal) October 30, 2025
The appointment follows Chief Justice Gavai’s formal recommendation earlier this week to the Union Law Ministry, in line with established convention that the outgoing CJI names his successor.
Justice Surya Kant, who was elevated to the Supreme Court on May 24, 2019, will serve as CJI until February 9, 2027 — a relatively long tenure of over 14 months.
Born on February 10, 1962, in Hisar, Haryana, Justice Kant comes from a middle-class background. He graduated from Government Post Graduate College, Hisar, in 1981 and earned his law degree from Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak, in 1984. He began his legal career at the Hisar District Court before moving his practice to the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 1985.
Designated as a Senior Advocate in 2001, he went on to serve as Advocate General of Haryana before his elevation as a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in January 2004. In October 2018, he was appointed Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court and later joined the Supreme Court bench in May 2019.
