'Protect the last citizen': Justice Surya Kant takes charge as 53rd Chief Justice of India

Justice Surya Kant was sworn in by President Droupadi Murmu as the 53rd Chief Justice of India (CJI) at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday.

The 63-year-old, who has been a part of a number of landmark verdicts—including the abrogation of Article 370—took his oath of office in Hindi, pledging before God his commitment to uphold the Constitution and faithfully discharge his duties.

“Let justice protect the last citizen, for only then does it truly belong to all,” CJI Surya Kant said soon after the ceremony, setting the tone for a 15-month tenure after succeeding Justice B.R. Gavai.

Appointed to the Supreme Court on May 24, 2019, CJI Surya Kant will retire on February 9, 2027, a day before he turns 65.

Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were among the senior leaders at the new CJI's swearing-in, which also saw a number of foreign chief justices and judges from Bhutan, Kenya, Malaysia, Brazil, Mauritius, Nepal and Sri Lanka. 

In an earlier informal interaction with THE WEEK, CJI Surya Kant had declared that his top priority during his 15-month tenure was clearing the mountain of arrears pending before the Supreme Court and High Courts.

“Arrears are my priority, over 90,000 cases here, and arrears pan-India,” he had said, calling the growing backlog the most urgent institutional challenge.

“We have identified hundreds at the Supreme Court level, and we are also asking the High Courts to flag cases that cannot progress because a point of law is pending here,” he added, indicating that a systemic reduction in pendency was in order, rather than just numerical disposal.