Centre asks CJI Gavai to name his successor

NEw DelhiThe unification jurisprudence ministry on fri requested Chief justness of republic of india (CJI) Bhushan R Gavai to recommend the name of his successor, initiating the formal process for appointing the next head of the Indian judiciary ahead of Justice Gavai’s retirement on November 23.Justice Surya Kant, the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, is in line to become the 53rd Chief Justice of India, succeeding Justice Gavai. He is likely to assume office on November 24 and will have a tenure of about 14 months, retiring on February 9, 2027.As a matter of long-standing convention, the law ministry writes to the CJI a nearly a month before his retirement, seeking the name of his successor. The incumbent CJI then formally recommends the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, “considered fit to hold the office”, roughly 30 days before demitting office.This practice originates from the Second Judges Case (1993), in which the Supreme Court ruled that the appointment to the office of CJI should be of the most senior judge of the court “considered fit to hold the office.” The subsequent Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) for appointments to the higher judiciary incorporated this convention.Once CJI Gavai makes his recommendation, the government is expected to issue a formal notification appointing Justice Kant as the next CJI. As the designated successor, Justice Kant will begin participating in key administrative decisions alongside the incumbent.Justice Surya Kant: From Hisar’s modest lanes to the nation’s top judicial chairBorn in the modest town of Hisar, Haryana, on February 10, 1962, Justice Surya Kant’s journey from the dusty courts of Hisar to the apex of India’s judiciary is one marked by quiet grit, intellect and humility. His rise embodies the arc of a self-made jurist who combined legal scholarship with an unwavering sense of fairness and social conscience.Justice Kant completed his schooling in Hisar and graduated from Government Post Graduate College, Hisar, in 1981. He obtained his law degree from Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak, in 1984 and went on to complete his LL.M. From Kurukshetra University in 2011, securing First Class First -- an academic feat achieved while he was already an established judge.His academic record reflected not only intellectual discipline but a lifelong curiosity for learning. Colleagues recall him as someone who never treated education as a means to an end but as a continuing pursuit of clarity and understanding.Justice Kant began his legal practice at the Hisar District Court in 1984 before moving to Chandigarh the following year, where he built a robust practice at the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Specialising in constitutional, civil and service law, he appeared for universities, corporations and boards, and quickly earned a reputation for his meticulous preparation and sharp advocacy.In July 2000, at just 38, he was appointed Advocate General of Haryana -- the youngest to hold that office in the state’s history. A year later, in March 2001, he was designated a senior advocate, recognition of his standing at the Bar.Judicial journeyJustice Kant’s transition to the Bench came in January 2004, when he was elevated as a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He went on to serve as the chief justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court in October 2018, where he was widely admired for his administrative acumen and accessibility to the Bar.In May 2019, he was elevated to the Supreme Court of India, alongside Justice Gavai. Over the past six years, Justice Kant has authored over 300 judgments, many of them on complex constitutional, criminal and administrative issues.At the Supreme Court, Justice Kant has been part of several landmark constitution benches, including the Article 370 abrogation case, Section 6A Citizenship Act verdict, and the ruling affirming the minority status of Aligarh Muslim University, where he penned a notable dissent.He was also heading the bench that granted bail to former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in the CBI’s liquor policy case, while simultaneously holding that his arrest by the agency followed due procedure -- a reflection of his nuanced approach to liberty and procedure.Justice Kant was on the five-judge Bench hearing the presidential reference concerning the powers and timelines for governors and the President to act on bills passed by state legislatures, and the bench reviewing the top court Vijay Madanlal Choudhary judgment, pertaining to the sweeping powers of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. While the opinion in the presidential reference is expected by November 21, which is the last working day for CJI Gavai who headed this bench, the PMLA review case is set for final arguments starting next month.Beyond his judicial work, Justice Kant has held key positions in national legal institutions. He served as a member of the governing body of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) for two consecutive terms (2007-2011), reflecting his commitment to access to justice and legal aid. He has also contributed to the Indian Law Institute and other legal reform initiatives.He is currently the executive chairman of NALSA and has helmed several novel initiatives, including the launch of the Veer Parivar Sahayata Yojana 2025 in July -- a first-of-its-kind nationwide scheme aimed at providing free legal assistance to soldiers, veterans and their families. Speaking to Hindustan Times at the launch, Justice Kant called the scheme “a fulfilment of a constitutional duty” and a step toward building “close proximity between the judiciary and the uniformed forces”.Known for his courteous demeanour and sharp intellect, Justice Kant is seen within the legal community as a consensus-builder, a quality that will serve him well in his new role as CJI, where he will steer the judiciary through an era of increasing complexity and public scrutiny.As he prepares to assume the mantle on November 24, Justice Kant’s 14-month tenure will coincide with critical constitutional challenges and the continuing push for judicial reforms, technology integration, and institutional efficiency.Those who have known him describe him as “a judge with a human heart and a constitutional mind” — a blend of humility and conviction that has quietly defined his career from Hisar to Delhi’s Supreme Court corridors.