Surya Kant (judge)
{{Short description|Indian judge (born 1962)}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2019}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Surya Kant
| office = Judge of Supreme Court of India
| nominator = Ranjan Gogoi
| appointer = Ram Nath Kovind
| termstart = 24 May 2019
| termend =
| office1 = Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1962|2|10}}
| termstart1 = 5 October 2018
| termend1 = 23 May 2019
| nominator1 = Ranjan Gogoi
| appointer1 = Ram Nath Kovind
| office2 = Judge of Punjab and Haryana High Court
| appointer2 = A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
| nominator2 = Vishweshwar Nath Khare
| termstart2 = 9 January 2004
| termend2 = 4 October 2018
| birth_place = Petwar, Hisar, Haryana
| image = Justice_Surya_Kant.jpg
| image_size = 200px
| office3 = Advocate General for Haryana
| appointer3 = Babu Parmanand
| predecessor3 = Manmohan Lal Sarin
| successor3 = Ashok Aggarwal
| termstart3 = 7 July 2000
| termend3 = 8 January 2004
| predecessor1 = Mansoor Ahmad Mir
| successor1 = V. Ramasubramanian
| 1blankname3 = Chief Minister
| 1namedata3 = {{ubl|Prakash Singh Badal|Amarinder Singh}}
}}
Suryakant Sharma (born 10 February 1962) is an Indian judge of the Supreme Court of India, set to become the 53rd Chief Justice of India, if the convention of seniority is followed.{{Cite web|date=23 November 2021|title=7 Next CJIs|url=https://www.scobserver.in/journal/7-next-cji-s/|access-date=24 November 2021|publisher=Supreme Court Observer|language=en}} Prior to his elevation as judge, Kant was a Senior Advocate and also served as the Advocate General for Haryana. He is also the visitor of National University of Study and Research in Law, Ranchi.{{Cite web |title=General Council |url=https://nusrlranchi.ac.in/general-council/ |access-date=7 January 2024 |website=NUSRL}} Also, he is the ex officio executive chairman of National Legal Services Authority.
Early life
Kant was born in 1962 at Hisar district village Petwar of Haryana into a middle class family.{{cite news |last=Arora |first=Vijay |title=Full court reference for Justice Kant |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/himachal/full-court-reference-for-justice-kant-777980 |work=The Tribune |date=24 May 2019 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220703203345/https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/himachal/full-court-reference-for-justice-kant-777980 |archive-date=3 July 2022 |url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Jain|first=Ritika|date=2019-05-09|title=SC collegium's two new judge picks set to give India its second Dalit chief justice|url=https://theprint.in/judiciary/sc-collegiums-two-new-judge-picks-set-to-give-india-its-second-dalit-chief-justice/233134/|access-date=2020-06-02|website=ThePrint|language=en-US}} He graduated from the Government Post Graduate College, Hisar in 1981 and earned his Bachelor of Laws from Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak in 1984. He stood First Class First in his Master of Laws from Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra in 2011.{{Cite web|url=https://hphighcourt.nic.in/|title=Hon'ble Mr. Justice Surya Kant, Chief Justice|website=hphighcourt.nic.in|access-date=15 December 2018}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.thestatesman.com/india/justice-surya-kant-appointed-chief-justice-hp-high-court-1502692365.html|title=Justice Surya Kant appointed Chief Justice of HP High Court|website=thestatesman.com|date=3 October 2018 |access-date=15 December 2018}}
Career
Kant was nominated as a member of the National Legal Services Authority on 23 February 2007 for two consecutive terms. Kant organised and attended several prestigious conferences. On 5 October 2018, he took oath as the Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court.{{Cite news|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/justice-surya-kant-appointed-as-new-chief-justice-of-himachal-high-court/story-JL9x85MjdJwCYsLHTJJQeL.html|title=Justice Surya Kant appointed as the chief justice of Himachal HC|date=4 October 2018|access-date=6 February 2019}}{{Cite news|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/justice-surya-kant-appointed-chief-justice-of-himachal-pradesh-high-court-5385406/|title=Justice Surya Kant appointed Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court|date=4 October 2018|newspaper=The Indian Express|access-date=6 February 2019}} On 9 May 2019, the Supreme Court collegium headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi recommended his elevation to the Supreme Court of India. On 24 May 2019, Kant took oath as a judge of the Supreme Court of India.{{Cite web|url=https://highcourtchd.gov.in/?trs=chief|title=Hon'ble Judges|access-date=26 January 2019}}{{Cite web|url=http://advocategeneralhry.gov.in/justice_surya_kant|title=Hon'ble Mr. Justice Surya Kant's Profile|access-date=15 December 2018}}{{Cite web|url=https://theprint.in/governance/modi-govt-clears-name-of-judge-for-himachal-chief-justice-after-stalling-for-9-months/128164/|title=Modi govt clears name of judge as Himachal chief justice after stalling for 9 months|website=ThePrint |access-date=15 December 2018}}{{Cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/supreme-court-collegium-recommends-names-of-justices-gavai-surya-kant-for-elevation-as-apex-court-judges/articleshow/69246142.cms|title=SC Collegium reiterates names of Justices Bose, Bopanna for elevation to apex court|newspaper=The Economic Times |date=10 May 2019 |access-date=May 10, 2019 |last1=Rautray |first1=Samanwaya }} He is set to become the 53rd Chief Justice of India, if the convention of seniority is followed.
Notable case involvements
Kant has delivered numerous judgments on human rights, gender justice, education and prison reforms inter alia. During his tenure at the Punjab and Haryana High Court, he delivered the Jasvir Singh judgement, directing the State of Punjab to form a Jail Reforms Committee for creating a scheme for enabling conjugal and family visits for jail inmates keeping in mind the beneficial nature and reformatory goals of such amenities. {{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/chandigarh/high-court-tells-punjab-haryana-to-form-jail-reforms-panels/story-KUTVkOcUtNLQwAveFdvVtL.html|title=High Court tells Punjab, Haryana to form jail reforms panels|date=7 January 2015 |access-date=7 January 2015}}
Kant's involvement in the high-profile India's Got Latent case drew a lot of attention. The case stemmed from a controversy surrounding Indian comedian Ranveer Allahabadia, who was a participant in the comedy talent show India's Got Latent. During the show, Allahabadia posed a question to a contestant: "Would you rather watch your parents have sex every day for the rest of your life or join in once to make it stop forever?"{{Cite web |last=Mollan |first=Cherylann |date=19 February 2025 |title=YouTuber's 'dirty' comments spark massive row in India |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg4g8q51xdo.amp |website=BBC}} The remark ignited a nationwide controversy, before it ultimately reached the Supreme Court, where it gained significant public attention. Kant, serving on the case, expressed strong disapproval of Allahabadia's remarks. During the hearing, he stated that he knew how to "deal" with "youngsters who think we are outdated" and criticized them for "being oversmart." He asserted that "there is nothing like a fundamental right on a platter," emphasizing that citizens must fulfill their "duty" in order to enjoy their fundamental rights.{{Cite web |last=Mukherjee |first=Oindrila |date=3 March 2025 |title='Youngsters May Think We're Outdated…': SC In Ranveer Allahbadia Hearing |url=https://www.news18.com/india/supreme-court-strong-remarks-ranveer-allahbadia-case-hearing-indias-got-latent-top-quotes-9248300.html |website=CNN-News18}}{{Cite web |date=3 March 2025 |title=BeerBiceps Row: SC Says Fundamental Rights Not Provided on ‘Platter’; Suggests Draft Regulations |url=https://m.thewire.in/article/law/ranveer-allahbadia-supreme-court-fundamental-rights-platter/amp |website=The Wire (India)}}{{Cite web |date=3 March 2025 |title=Allahbadia row: Nothing like fundamental right on platter, says SC on 'free speech' limits |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/india/allahbadia-row-nothing-like-fundamental-right-on-platter-says-sc-on-free-speech-limits-3429761 |website=Deccan Herald}}{{Cite web |date=3 March 2025 |title=‘Maybe my time is bad, but I am time’: ‘Oversmart’ Samay Raina’s Canada joke draws Supreme Court’s ire |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/samay-raina-canada-joke-supreme-court-9866403/ |website=The Indian Express}}
Notable speeches
While delivering a lecture on prison reforms at HP National Law University in May 2022, Kant discussed the effect of incarceration on prisoners’ families and recalled the novel system of prison administration called ‘break-up and weekend prison’ proposed by Justice VR Krishna Iyer.{{Cite web|url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/himachal/justice-surya-kant-recalls-justice-iyers-plan-of-novel-prison-system-399127|title=Justice Surya Kant recalls Justice Iyer's plan of novel prison system|access-date=28 May 2022}}
References
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{{Sitting Judges of the Supreme Court of India}}
{{Authority control}}
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Category:21st-century Indian judges
Category:21st-century Indian lawyers
Category:Chief justices of the Himachal Pradesh High Court
Category:Judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court
Category:Justices of the Supreme Court of India