How a Village Boy From Haryana Became India’s 53rd Chief Justice

In a small Haryana village, a boy worked in fields and helped at home, convinced that discipline and knowledge could change his life. Today, that boy is India’s 53rd Chief Justice.

Born in 1962, Surya Kant studied in a village school with no benches, sitting on the ground. His father, a schoolteacher, told him that knowledge is the truest form of wealth.

After school, he joined Government Post Graduate College, Hisar, in 1981, and then completed his LLB from MDU Rohtak in 1984. Decades later, he earned an LLM in 2011, First Class First, showing that law was his calling.

In the Hisar courts, he saw justice in its human form — livelihoods, disputes, and bureaucracy. In 1985, he moved to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, earning respect for clarity, integrity, and dedication.

Elevated as a High Court judge in 2004 and later Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court in 2018, his judgments carried law and empathy together, always mindful of access, fairness, and the lives behind each case.

Joining the Supreme Court in 2019, he brought a rare mix of scholarship and practical insight. Legal aid, NALSA initiatives, and clarity in judgment became defining features of his tenure.

Surya Kant believes the law must serve ordinary people. His work reflects the judiciary’s strength in its human core.

On 24 November 2025, he assumed office as India’s 53rd Chief Justice. From a modest village classroom to the Supreme Court, his journey reflects perseverance, humility, and lifelong learning.