Next CJI: Landmark verdicts, humble start

CHANDIGARH: Justice Surya Kant , the most senior Supreme Court judge , is poised to assume the office of Chief Justice of India (CJI) next month. Few are aware of the extraordinary journey that brought him to the nation's highest judicial position.

Unlike many who come from families with strong legal background, Justice Kant's journey began in Petwar - a nondescript village in Haryana's Hisar. He grew up far from privileges often associated with corridors of power. The first time he saw a city was when he travelled to Hansi, a small town in Hisar, for his Class X board exam.

Until Class VIII, he studied in a village school that had no benches. As a student, he shared everyday responsibilities of rural life - working in fields during his spare time to support his family like any other rural boy. His father was a teacher.

On formal confirmation, he will be the first Haryanvi to become CJI. He is expected to take over as 53rd Chief Justice of India on Nov 24, and slated to serve until Feb 9, 2027.

Those who have worked closely with him describe Justice Kant as a jurist of deep learning and measured wisdom, admired for his balanced judgments and unwavering commitment to justice. Having served for over 14 years in Punjab and Haryana HC before his elevation as Himachal Pradesh HC Chief Justice and later as SC judge, he has consistently demonstrated a keen sensitivity toward matters concerning protection of public resources, land acquisition and compensation, victims' rights, reservation policies, and broader balance of constitutional principles.

Sometime ago, while visiting his alma mater, Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU), Rohtak, Justice Kant spoke about his early life and modest beginnings. Electricity was a rarity in Petwar, he recalled and fondly remembered studying at night with friends, huddled under dim lamps, driven by hope of securing a govt job - a goal, he said, inspired him to persevere through every hardship.

Born on Feb 10, 1962, Justice Kant completed his early education from Petwar and LLB in 1984 from MDU. He started as a lawyer at Hisar district court before moving to Chandigarh to practice at Punjab and Haryana HC.

Justice Kant became the youngest advocate general of Haryana at 38. In 2004, aged 42, he was elevated as a judge of Punjab and Haryana HC. Even then, he continued his academic pursuits, securing first-class-first in his master's degree in law in 2011 from Kurukshetra University's directorate of distance education.

After serving as HC judge for over 14 years, he was elevated as Himachal Pradesh HC CJ on Oct 5, 2018. On May 24, 2019, he became SC judge.

In his 14-year stint as HC judge in Chandigarh, Justice Kant passed several landmark judgments, including right of jail inmates to have conjugal visits or artificial insemination for progeny.

He also passed an order in a case where a husband had killed his wife. While punishing the guilty, he noticed the accused had four daughters. He personally spoke with a college principal, requesting free education for the eldest daughter.

In Punjab and Haryana HC, he was part of the full bench that ordered sanitisation of Dera Sacha Sauda in 2017 following violence after imprisonment of the Dera chief in rape cases and directed a central probe into financial irregularities inside it. He served as a member of governing body of National Legal Services Authority from 2007 to 2011. In SC, he was part of benches that passed several landmark judgments.

As CJ of Himachal Pradesh HC, he focused on administrative reforms and improving judicial efficiency. He reaffirmed access to basic amenities constituted an integral part of the fundamental right to life enshrined in the Constitution.