Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai has recommended the name of Justice Surya Kant as his successor, formally beginning the process of appointing the next Chief Justice of India.
It is noteworthy that Justice Gavai will leave the post on attaining the age of 65 years on November 23, 2025.
The Union Ministry of Law and Justice had recently written to Chief Justice Gavai seeking his recommendation for the next Chief Justice as per the established procedure.
The appointment process of the Chief Justice of India is governed by the Memorandum of Procedure (MOP) – a document that sets the framework for appointment, transfer and promotion of judges to the Supreme Court and High Courts.
According to the Memorandum of Procedure, the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, who is considered suitable to hold the office, is recommended as the next Chief Justice.
As per this tradition, Justice Surya Kant, the senior most judge after Justice Gavai, has been recommended for the top judicial post.
Following formal appointment by the President, Justice Kant will assume charge as the 53rd Chief Justice of India on November 24, 2025 and will serve a tenure of approximately 15 months till February 9, 2027.
Justice Surya Kant, born on February 10, 1962, has had an illustrious judicial and legal career. Before his elevation to the Supreme Court, he served as Advocate General of Haryana and was appointed senior advocate at a young age.
Currently, Justice Kant holds key institutional roles – he serves as the Visitor of the National University of Legal Studies and Research, Ranchi, and is the ex-officio Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA).