Overview
- President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath at Rashtrapati Bhavan, with Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries in attendance, as he succeeded Justice B. R. Gavai.
- He will serve a nearly 15‑month term and retire on February 9, 2027, upon turning 65.
- Justice Surya Kant has signalled immediate coordination with High Courts, an expansion of mediation, and the formation of five-, seven- and nine-judge benches in the coming weeks.
- The pendency challenge framing his agenda includes 5.29 crore cases nationwide per NJDG data and more than 90,000 matters pending in the Supreme Court.
- His Supreme Court record spans the Article 370 ruling, the suspension of the sedition law, oversight of the Pegasus inquiry, scrutiny of Bihar’s electoral roll deletions, and orders advancing gender representation in bar associations.