Will Justice Surya Kant be the next Chief Justice of India? CJI Gavai recommended this to the Central Government.

Chief Justice of India Bhushan Ramakrishna Gavai has recommended Justice Surya Kant as the next CJI. Justice Surya Kant is the second-most senior judge in the Supreme Court after the current CJI. If the central government accepts his recommendation, he will become the 53rd CJI on November 24th, following CJI Gavai's retirement on November 23rd.

According to sources cited by news agency PTI, CJI Gavai has recommended Justice Surya Kant to the Union Law Ministry to appoint him as the next CJI. Justice Surya Kant was appointed as a Supreme Court judge on May 24, 2019. If he becomes the next CJI, his tenure as Chief Justice will be approximately 1.2 years. The retirement age for Supreme Court judges is 65.

How is the Chief Justice of India selected?

According to tradition, a month before a sitting Justice retires, the Union Law Ministry requests the CJI to recommend his successor. The current CJI then recommends his successor. At that point, it is almost certain who will become the next Chief Justice of the country.

Who is Justice Suryakant?

Justice Suryakant, born in Hisar, Haryana, is currently the second-most senior judge of the Supreme Court. He graduated from the Government Postgraduate College, Hisar, in 1981 and completed his law studies from Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, in 1984. That same year, he began practicing in the District Court of Hisar. After a year there, he moved to practice in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. In 2004, he was appointed Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Justice Suryakant was appointed Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court in 2018. He was subsequently elevated to the Supreme Court on May 24, 2019.