Surya Kant (judge)
Surya Kant | |
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Judge of Supreme Court of India | |
Assumed office 24 May 2019 | |
Nominated by | Ranjan Gogoi |
Appointed by | Ram Nath Kovind |
Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court | |
In office 5 October 2018 – 23 May 2019 | |
Nominated by | Ranjan Gogoi |
Appointed by | Ram Nath Kovind |
Preceded by | Mansoor Ahmad Mir |
Succeeded by | V. Ramasubramanian |
Judge of Punjab and Haryana High Court | |
In office 9 January 2004 – 4 October 2018 | |
Nominated by | V. N. Khare |
Appointed by | A. P. J. Abdul Kalam |
Advocate General for Haryana | |
In office 7 July 2000 – 8 January 2004 | |
Appointed by | Babu Parmanand |
Preceded by | Manmohan Lal Sarin |
Succeeded by | Ashok Aggarwal |
Personal details | |
Born | Petwar, Hisar, Haryana | 10 February 1962
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.[1] 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.[2]
Early life
[edit]Kant was born in 1962 at Hisar district village Petwar of Haryana into a middle class family.[3][4] 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.[5][6]
Career
[edit]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.[7][8] 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.[9][10][11][12] He is set to become the 53rd Chief Justice of India, if the convention of seniority is followed.[1]
Notable case involvements
[edit]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.[13]
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?"[14] 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.[15][16][17][18]
Notable speeches
[edit]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.[19]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "7 Next CJIs". Supreme Court Observer. 23 November 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
- ^ "General Council". NUSRL. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ Arora, Vijay (24 May 2019). "Full court reference for Justice Kant". The Tribune. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022.
- ^ Jain, Ritika (9 May 2019). "SC collegium's two new judge picks set to give India its second Dalit chief justice". ThePrint. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
- ^ "Hon'ble Mr. Justice Surya Kant, Chief Justice". hphighcourt.nic.in. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
- ^ "Justice Surya Kant appointed Chief Justice of HP High Court". thestatesman.com. 3 October 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
- ^ "Justice Surya Kant appointed as the chief justice of Himachal HC". 4 October 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
- ^ "Justice Surya Kant appointed Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court". The Indian Express. 4 October 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
- ^ "Hon'ble Judges". Retrieved 26 January 2019.
- ^ "Hon'ble Mr. Justice Surya Kant's Profile". Retrieved 15 December 2018.
- ^ "Modi govt clears name of judge as Himachal chief justice after stalling for 9 months". ThePrint. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
- ^ Rautray, Samanwaya (10 May 2019). "SC Collegium reiterates names of Justices Bose, Bopanna for elevation to apex court". The Economic Times. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
- ^ "High Court tells Punjab, Haryana to form jail reforms panels". 7 January 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
- ^ Mollan, Cherylann (19 February 2025). "YouTuber's 'dirty' comments spark massive row in India". BBC.
- ^ Mukherjee, Oindrila (3 March 2025). "'Youngsters May Think We're Outdated…': SC In Ranveer Allahbadia Hearing". CNN-News18.
- ^ "BeerBiceps Row: SC Says Fundamental Rights Not Provided on 'Platter'; Suggests Draft Regulations". The Wire (India). 3 March 2025.
- ^ "Allahbadia row: Nothing like fundamental right on platter, says SC on 'free speech' limits". Deccan Herald. 3 March 2025.
- ^ "'Maybe my time is bad, but I am time': 'Oversmart' Samay Raina's Canada joke draws Supreme Court's ire". The Indian Express. 3 March 2025.
- ^ "Justice Surya Kant recalls Justice Iyer's plan of novel prison system". Retrieved 28 May 2022.