CJI B.R. Gavai has recommended Justice Surya Kant as the next Chief Justice of India.
Justice Gavai will retire on November 23, 2025, after a notable career in constitutional and administrative law.
Justice Surya Kant will assume office on November 24, 2025, continuing the seniority tradition in the Supreme Court.
Chief Justice of India B. R. Gavai has recommended Justice Surya Kant as his successor to the Union Law Ministry on 27th October 2025. Gavai will be retiring on 23rd November 2025, and the new CJI will assume office from 24th November 2025. The recommendation follows the convention of appointing the senior-most Supreme Court judge as the next CJI, ensuring continuity in judicial administration. The procedure has started in the Law Ministry, which will formally notify the appointment after receiving the recommendation.
Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai was born into a family with political roots in Amravati, Maharashtra, on 24th November 1960. His father, R. S. Gavai was a veteran social justice activist and governor. He began working as an advocate on 16th March 1985 after obtaining his law degree. He first started his practice with senior counsel Raja S. Bhonsale and later went on to work independently before the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court.
He served as the standing counsel for universities and municipalities before becoming Assistant Government Pleader and Additional Public Prosecutor from 1992 to 1993. He then went on to hold the position of Government Pleader and Public Prosecutor for the Nagpur Bench from 2000. He was promoted to Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court on 14th November 2003 and became a permanent judge on 12th November 2005. He took office as a judge of the Supreme Court of India on 24th May 2019. He was appointed as the 52nd Chief Justice of India on 14th May 2025 and will retire on 23rd November 2025.
Justice Gavai is known for his contribution to administrative and constitutional law. He has been part of around 700 benches, including cases related to civil, criminal, commercial, environmental, and constitutional matters during his tenure in the Supreme Court. He has also emphasized the need for the judiciary to remain engaged with public concerns while maintaining a balance between directive principles and fundamental rights.
Justice Surya Kant was born into a middle-class family in Petwar village of Hisar district, Haryana, on 10th February 1962. He completed his LLB. from Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak, in 1984 and LLM from Kurukshetra University through distance mode in 2011. He started his legal practice in 1984 at the District Court in Hisar and later relocated to Chandigarh, where he practiced at the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He focused mainly on civil, constitutional, and service cases.
He was appointed as the Advocate General of Haryana on 7th July 2000, marking an advancement in his judicial career. He then rose through the ranks, taking over as Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court from 5th October 2018 to 23rd May 2019, before being promoted to the Supreme Court of India on 24th May 2019.
He has been part of several important Supreme Court benches and has been actively involved in the administration of legal services, including the National Legal Services Authority. He has also publicly spoken about India’s reservation policy, highlighting that the system should not turn into “a train compartment” from which others are excluded.
There will be arrangements for the oath and transfer of court administrative responsibilities after the formal notification of the new CJI.
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