Centre initiates process to appoint next CJI, Justice Gavai to demit office next month
Five months after Justice Gavai took oath as the 52nd Chief Justice of India, the process has been initiated to appoint his successor, Justice Kant.
Justice Surya Kant is to be appointed the next CJI after Justice Gavai retires in November.
The Centre reportedly has initiated the process to appoint the next Chief Justice of India as incumbent CJI BR Gavai is set to demit office in November 2025.
As per procedure, the letter requesting Justice Gavai to name his successor will soon be delivered to him. As per guidelines governing the appointment, transfer and elevation of judges — the position of Chief Justice of India is traditionally offered to the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court considered fit to hold the office.
Union law minister at the appropriate time seeks the recommendation of the outgoing CJI for the appointment of his successor. Conventionally, this communication is sent around a month before the incumbent retires upon attaining the age of 65.
Justice Surya Kant, currently the senior-most judge after CJI Gavai, is next in line to assume leadership of the judiciary.
CJI Gavai, who is due to retire on 23rd November 2025, was elevated as a Judge of the Supreme Court of India on 24th May 2019 and appointed as the Chief Justice of India on 14th May 2025. In the last six years, he was a part of around 700 Benches dealing with matters pertaining to variety of subjects including constitutional and administrative law, civil law, criminal law, commercial disputes, arbitration law, electricity law, education matters, environmental law, etc and has authored around 300 judgments including Constitution Bench Judgements on various issues upholding the rule of law and safeguarding the fundamental rights, human rights and legal rights of citizens.
Justice Surya Kant was elevated as a Judge of the Supreme Court of India on 24th May, 2019 and is also, Chairman of Supreme Court Legal Services Committee, w.e.f., 12th November, 2024. He is due to retire on 9th February, 2027. Justice Kant was appointed a permanent Judge to the Punjab and Haryana High Court on January 9, 2004.
The next CJI to be graduated from Government Post Graduate College, Hisar in 1981 and got a bachelor’s degree in law in 1984 from Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak. He then started practicing Law at the District Court, Hisar in 1984. Later he shifted to Chandigarh in 1985 to practice in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Justice Kant specialised in Constitutional, Service and Civil matters and represented a number of Universities, Boards, Corporations, Banks and also the High Court itself. He was appointed the youngest Advocate General of Haryana on July 7, 2000 and designated as Senior Advocate in March, 2001.
He held the office of Advocate General, Haryana till his elevation as a permanent Judge to the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He was also nominated as a Member of the Governing Body of National Legal Services Authority on February 23, 2007 for two consecutive terms till February 22, 2011. Presently, he is a Member of various Committees of Indian Law Institute – a deemed university under the aegis of Supreme Court of India. and has also organised and attended various prestigious National/International Conferences. Before his elevation to the Supreme Court, Justice Kant had also served as the Chief Justice of the High Court of Himachal Pradesh.