The chief justice of India (CJI) is the chief judge of the Supreme Court of India and the highest-ranking officer of the Indian judiciary. The Constitution of India grants power to the president of India to appoint, as recommended by the outgoing chief justice in consultation with other judges, (as envisaged in Article 124 (2) of the Constitution) the next chief justice, who will serve until they reach the age of 65 or are removed by the constitutional process of impeachment.
| Chief Justice of India | |
|---|---|
| Head of highest judicial authority in India | |
Supreme Court Emblem | |
Incumbent since 24 November 2025Surya Kant (Judge) | |
| Supreme Court | |
| Type | Chief Justice |
| Status | Presiding Judge of Supreme Court of India |
| Abbreviation | CJI |
| Residence | 5, Krishna Menon Marg, Sunehri Bagh, New Delhi, India |
| Seat | Supreme Court of India, New Delhi, India |
| Nominator | Outgoing Chief Justice of India, generally on the basis of Seniority |
| Appointer | President of India |
| Term length | Until the age of 65 |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of India (under Article 124) |
| Formation | 26 January 1950 |
| First holder | H. J. Kania (1950–1951) |
| Succession | 6th (on the Indian order of precedence) |
| Salary | ₹280,000 (US$3,300) (per month) |
| Website | sci.gov.in |
The CJI ranks 6th in the Order of Precedence of India and as per convention, the successor suggested by the incumbent chief justice is most often the next most senior judge of the Supreme Court. However, this convention has been broken twice. In 1973, Justice A. N. Ray was appointed, superseding three senior judges, and in 1977 when Justice Mirza Hameedullah Beg was appointed as Chief Justice, superseding Justice Hans Raj Khanna.
As head of the Supreme Court, the chief justice is responsible for the allocation of cases and appointment of constitutional benches that deal with important matters of law. In accordance with Article 145 of the Constitution of India and the Supreme Court Rules of Procedure of 1966, the chief justice has to allocate work to the other judges who are bound to refer the matter back to them (for re-allocation) in any case where they require it to be looked into by another group of experienced judges.
On the administrative side, the chief justice carries out functions of maintenance of the roster, appointment of court officials, and general and miscellaneous matters relating to the supervision and functioning of the Supreme Court. The chief justice is de facto chancellor of National Law School of India University and The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences.
The 52nd chief justice was Bhushan Gavai. Sworn in on 14 May, 2025, he became the first Buddhist to hold this post.
Chief Justice of India B. R. Gavai recommended Justice Surya Kant as the next chief justice of India on 27th October 2025.Justice Surya Kant, the second senior-most Supreme Court judge became the 53rd chief justice of India on 24th November 2025 after the incumbent CJI B. R. Gavai's retirement.
Appointment
As the incumbent chief justice approaches retirement, the Ministry of Law and Justice seeks a recommendation from the incumbent chief justice. Consultations with other judges might also take place. The recommendation is then presented to the prime minister, who will advice the president in the matter of appointment.
Removal
Article 124(4) of the Constitution of India lays down the procedure for the removal of a judge of the Supreme Court, which is applicable to chief justices as well. Once appointed, the chief justice remains in office until age 65. There is no fixed tenure provided in the constitution. [citation needed] He can be removed only through a process of removal by Parliament as follows:
A Judge of the Supreme Court shall not be removed from his office except by an order of the President passed after an address by each House of Parliament supported by a majority of the total membership of that House and by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members of that House present and voting has been presented to the President in the same session for such removal on the ground of proved misbehaviour or incapacity.
— Article 124(4), Constitution of India,
Acting president
The President (Discharge of Functions) Act, 1969 specifies the chief justice of India shall act as the president of India in the event of the offices of both the president and the vice president being vacant. When President Zakir Hussain died in office, Vice President V. V. Giri acted as the president. Later, V. V. Giri resigned as the vice president, the chief justice, Justice Mohammad Hidayatullah became the acting president of India. As per the convention, the senior most judge of the Supreme Court become the acting chief justice. When the newly elected president took office a month later, Justice Hidayatullah reverted as the chief justice of India.
Remuneration
The Constitution of India gives the power of deciding remuneration as well as other conditions of service of the chief justice to the Parliament of India. Accordingly, such provisions have been laid down in The Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Act, 1958. This remuneration was revised in 2006–2008 after the Sixth Central Pay Commission's recommendation. According to the Seventh pay commission, in 2016, the salary was revised.
List of chief justices of India
| † | Died in office |
| ‡ | Resigned |
| No. | Name (birth–death) | Image | Start of Term | End of Term | Length of Term | Parent High Court | Appointed by (President of India) | Date of appointment as Judge in | Immediately preceding office | Nominated as Judge in | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supreme Court | Parent High Court | Supreme Court by (CJI) | Parent High Court by (CJI) | ||||||||||
| 1 | Harilal Jekisundas Kania (1890–1951) | 26 January 1950 | 6 November 1951† | 1 year, 284 days | Bombay | Rajendra Prasad | 28 January 1950 | June 1933 | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2 | Mandakolathur Patanjali Sastri (1889–1963) | 7 November 1951 | 3 January 1954 | 2 years, 57 days | Madras | 28 January 1950 | 15 March 1939 | -- | -- | -- | |||
| 3 | Mehr Chand Mahajan (1889–1967) | 4 January 1954 | 22 December 1954 | 352 days | Lahore | 28 January 1950 | 27 September 1943 | -- | -- | -- | |||
| 4 | Bijan Kumar Mukherjea (1891–1956) | 23 December 1954 | 31 January 1956‡ | 1 year, 39 days | Calcutta | 28 January 1950 | 8 July 1936 | -- | -- | -- | |||
| 5 | Sudhi Ranjan Das (1894–1977) | 1 February 1956 | 30 September 1959 | 3 years, 241 days | Calcutta | 28 January 1950 | 1 December 1942 | 2nd CJ of Punjab HC | -- | -- | |||
| 6 | Bhuvaneshwar Prasad Sinha (1899–1986) | 1 October 1959 | 31 January 1964 | 4 years, 122 days | Patna | 3 December 1954 | 19 January 1943 | CJ of Nagpur HC | M. C. Mahajan | -- | |||
| 7 | Pralhad Balacharya Gajendragadkar (1901–1981) | 1 February 1964 | 15 March 1966 | 2 years, 42 days | Bombay | Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan | 17 January 1957 | 6 March 1945 | -- | S. R. Das | -- | ||
| 8 | Amal Kumar Sarkar (1901–2001) | 16 March 1966 | 29 June 1966 | 105 days | Calcutta | 4 March 1957 | 25 January 1949 | -- | -- | ||||
| 9 | Koka Subba Rao (1902–1976) | 30 June 1966 | 11 April 1967‡ | 285 days | Madras | 31 January 1958 | 22 March 1948 | CJ of Unified Andhra Pradesh HC | -- | ||||
| 10 | Kailas Nath Wanchoo (1903–1988) | 12 April 1967 | 24 February 1968 | 318 days | Allahabad | 11 August 1958 | 17 February 1947 | 2nd CJ of Rajasthan HC | -- | ||||
| 11 | Mohammed Hidayatullah (1905–1992) | 25 February 1968 | 16 December 1970 | 2 years, 294 days | Nagpur | Zakir Hussain | 1 December 1958 | 27 June 1946 | 1st CJ of Madhya Pradesh HC | -- | |||
| 12 | Jayantilal Chhotalal Shah (1906–1991) | 17 December 1970 | 21 January 1971 | 35 days | Bombay | V. V. Giri | 12 October 1959 | 1 March 1949 | -- | B. P. Sinha | -- | ||
| 13 | Sarv Mittra Sikri (1908–1992) | 22 January 1971 | 25 April 1973 | 2 years, 93 days | Bar Council | 3 February 1964 | N/A | N/A | P. B. Gajendragadkar | N/A | |||
| 14 | Ajit Nath Ray (1912–2009) | 26 April 1973 | 28 January 1977 | 3 years, 276 days | Calcutta | 1 August 1969 | 23 December 1957 | -- | M. Hidayatullah | -- | |||
| 15 | Mirza Hameedullah Beg (1913–1988) | 29 January 1977 | 21 February 1978 | 1 year, 24 days | Allahabad | Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed | 10 December 1971 | 11 June 1963 | 1st CJ of Himachal Pradesh HC | S. M. Sikri | B. P. Sinha | ||
| 16 | Yeshwant Vishnu Chandrachud (1920–2008) | 22 February 1978 | 11 July 1985 | 7 years, 139 days | Bombay | Neelam Sanjiva Reddy | 28 August 1972 | 19 March 1961 | -- | ||||
| 17 | Prafullachandra Natwarlal Bhagwati (1921–2017) | 12 July 1985 | 20 December 1986 | 1 year, 161 days | Gujarat | Zail Singh | 17 July 1973 | 21 July 1960 | 5th CJ of Gujarat HC | A. N. Ray | |||
| 18 | Raghunandan Swarup Pathak (1924–2007) | 21 December 1986 | 18 June 1989‡ | 2 years, 179 days | Allahabad | 20 February 1978 | 1 October 1962 | 2nd CJ of Himachal Pradesh HC | M. H. Beg | ||||
| 19 | Engalaguppe Seetharamiah Venkataramiah (1924–1997) | 19 June 1989 | 17 December 1989 | 181 days | Karnataka | R. Venkataraman | 8 March 1979 | 25 June 1970 | -- | Y. V. Chandrachud | M. Hidayatullah | ||
| 20 | Sabyasachi Mukharji (1927–1990) | 18 December 1989 | 25 September 1990† | 281 days | Calcutta | 15 March 1983 | 31 July 1968 | -- | |||||
| 21 | Ranganath Misra (1926–2012) | 26 September 1990 | 24 November 1991 | 1 year, 59 days | Orissa | 4 July 1969 | 10th CJ of Orissa HC | ||||||
| 22 | Kamal Narain Singh (1926–2022) | 25 November 1991 | 12 December 1991 | 17 days | Allahabad | 10 March 1986 | 25 August 1970 | -- | P. N. Bhagwati | ||||
| 23 | Madhukar Hiralal Kania (1927–2016) | 13 December 1991 | 17 November 1992 | 340 days | Bombay | 1 May 1987 | 4 November 1969 | 24th CJ of Bombay HC | R. S. Pathak | ||||
| 24 | Lalit Mohan Sharma (1928–2008) | 18 November 1992 | 11 February 1993 | 85 days | Patna | Shankar Dayal Sharma | 5 October 1987 | 12 April 1973 | -- | S. M. Sikri | |||
| 25 | Manepalli Narayanarao Venkatachaliah (born 1929) | 12 February 1993 | 24 October 1994 | 1 year, 254 days | Karnataka | 6 November 1975 | -- | A. N. Ray | |||||
| 26 | Aziz Mushabber Ahmadi (1932–2023) | 25 October 1994 | 24 March 1997 | 2 years, 150 days | Gujarat | 14 December 1988 | 2 September 1976 | -- | |||||
| 27 | Jagdish Sharan Verma (1933–2013) | 25 March 1997 | 17 January 1998 | 298 days | Madhya Pradesh | 3 June 1989 | 12 September 1972 | 10th CJ of Madhya Pradesh HC 16th CJ of Rajasthan HC | S. M. Sikri | ||||
| 28 | Madan Mohan Punchhi (1933–2015) | 18 January 1998 | 9 October 1998 | 264 days | Punjab and Haryana | K. R. Narayanan | 6 October 1989 | 24 October 1979 | -- | E. S. Venkataramiah | Y. V. Chandrachud | ||
| 29 | Adarsh Sein Anand (1936–2017) | 10 October 1998 | 31 October 2001 | 3 years, 21 days | Jammu and Kashmir | 18 November 1991 | 26 May 1975 | 14th CJ of Jammu and Kashmir HC 24th CJ of Madras HC | Ranganath Misra | A. N. Ray | |||
| 30 | Sam Piroj Bharucha (born 1937) | 1 November 2001 | 5 May 2002 | 185 days | Bombay | 1 July 1992 | 19 September 1977 | 13th CJ of Karnataka HC | M. H. Kania | M. H. Beg | |||
| 31 | Bhupinder Nath Kirpal (born 1937) | 6 May 2002 | 7 November 2002 | 185 days | Delhi | 11 September 1995 | 20 November 1979 | 13th CJ of Gujarat HC | A. M. Ahmadi | Y. V. Chandrachud | |||
| 32 | Gopal Ballav Pattanaik (born 1937) | 8 November 2002 | 18 December 2002 | 40 days | Orissa | A. P. J. Abdul Kalam | 1 June 1983 | 27th CJ of Patna HC | |||||
| 33 | Vishweshwar Nath Khare (born 1939) | 19 December 2002 | 1 May 2004 | 1 year, 134 days | Allahabad | 21 March 1997 | 25 June 1983 | 29th CJ of Calcutta HC | |||||
| 34 | S. Rajendra Babu (born 1939) | 2 May 2004 | 31 May 2004 | 29 days | Karnataka | 25 September 1997 | 19 February 1988 | -- | J. S. Verma | R. S. Pathak | |||
| 35 | Ramesh Chandra Lahoti (1940–2022) | 1 June 2004 | 31 October 2005 | 1 year, 152 days | Madhya Pradesh | 9 December 1998 | 3 May 1988 | -- | A. S. Anand | ||||
| 36 | Yogesh Kumar Sabharwal (1942–2015) | 1 November 2005 | 13 January 2007 | 1 year, 73 days | Delhi | 28 January 2000 | 17 November 1986 | 31st CJ of Bombay HC | P. N. Bhagwati | ||||
| 37 | Konakuppakatil Gopinathan Balakrishnan (born 1945) | 14 January 2007 | 11 May 2010 | 3 years, 117 days | Kerala | 8 June 2000 | 26 September 1985 | 16th CJ of Gujarat HC 29th CJ of Madras HC | |||||
| 38 | Sarosh Homi Kapadia (1947–2016) | 12 May 2010 | 28 September 2012 | 2 years, 139 days | Bombay | Pratibha Patil | 18 December 2003 | 8 October 1991 | 2nd CJ of Uttarakhand HC | V. N. Khare | Ranganath Misra | ||
| 39 | Altamas Kabir (1948–2017) | 29 September 2012 | 18 July 2013 | 292 days | Calcutta | Pranab Mukherjee | 9 September 2005 | 6 August 1990 | 3rd CJ of Jharkhand HC | R. C. Lahoti | Sabyasachi Mukharji | ||
| 40 | Palanisamy Sathasivam (born 1949) | 19 July 2013 | 26 April 2014 | 281 days | Madras | 21 August 2007 | 8 August 1996 | -- | K. G. Balakrishnan | A. M. Ahmadi | |||
| 41 | Rajendra Mal Lodha (born 1949) | 27 April 2014 | 27 September 2014 | 153 days | Rajasthan | 17 December 2008 | 31 January 1994 | 33rd CJ of Patna HC | M. N. Venkatachaliah | ||||
| 42 | Handyala Lakshminarayanaswamy Dattu (born 1950) | 28 September 2014 | 2 December 2015 | 1 year, 65 days | Karnataka | 18 December 1995 | 6th CJ of Chhattisgarh HC 27th CJ of Kerala HC | A. M. Ahmadi | |||||
| 43 | Tirath Singh Thakur (born 1952) | 3 December 2015 | 3 January 2017 | 1 year, 31 days | Jammu and Kashmir | 17 November 2009 | 16 February 1994 | 28th CJ of Punjab and Haryana HC | M. N. Venkatachaliah | ||||
| 44 | Jagdish Singh Khehar (born 1952) | 4 January 2017 | 27 August 2017 | 235 days | Punjab and Haryana | 11 September 2011 | 8 February 1999 | 7th CJ of Uttarakhand HC 25th CJ of Karnataka HC | S. H. Kapadia | A. S. Anand | |||
| 45 | Dipak Misra (born 1953) | 28 August 2017 | 2 October 2018 | 1 year, 35 days | Orissa | Ram Nath Kovind | 10 October 2011 | 17 January 1996 | 36th CJ of Patna HC 25th CJ of Delhi HC | A. M. Ahmadi | |||
| 46 | Ranjan Gogoi (born 1954) | 3 October 2018 | 17 November 2019 | 1 year, 45 days | Gauhati | 23 April 2012 | 28 February 2001 | 30th CJ of Punjab and Haryana HC | A. S. Anand | ||||
| 47 | Sharad Arvind Bobde (born 1956) | 18 November 2019 | 23 April 2021 | 1 year, 156 days | Bombay | 12 April 2013 | 29 March 2000 | 21st CJ of Madhya Pradesh HC | Altamas Kabir | ||||
| 48 | Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana (born 1957) | 24 April 2021 | 26 August 2022 | 1 year, 124 days | Andhra Pradesh | 17 February 2014 | 27 June 2000 | 27th CJ of Delhi HC | P. Sathasivam | ||||
| 49 | Uday Umesh Lalit (born 1957) | 27 August 2022 | 8 November 2022 | 73 days | Bar Council | Droupadi Murmu | 13 August 2014 | N/A | N/A | R. M. Lodha | N/A | ||
| 50 | Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud (born 1959) | 9 November 2022 | 10 November 2024 | 2 years, 1 day | Bombay | 13 May 2016 | 29 March 2000 | 45th CJ of Allahabad HC | T. S. Thakur | A. S. Anand | |||
| 51 | Sanjiv Khanna (born 1960) | 11 November 2024 | 13 May 2025 | 183 days | Delhi | 18 January 2019 | 24 June 2005 | -- | Ranjan Gogoi | R. C. Lahoti | |||
| 52 | Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai (born 1960) | 14 May 2025 | 23 November 2025 | 193 days | Bombay | 24 May 2019 | 14 November 2003 | -- | V. N. Khare | ||||
| 53 | Surya Kant (born 1962) | 24 November 2025 | Incumbent | 16 days | Punjab and Haryana | 9 January 2004 | 23rd CJ of Himachal Pradesh HC | ||||||
See also
- Collegium system
- Supreme Court of India
- High courts of India
- Tribunals in India
- Judiciary of India
- Constitution of India
- List of chief justices of India
- National Judicial Appointments Commission
- List of landmark court decisions in India
Current Judiciary
- List of current Indian chief justices
- List of sitting judges of the Supreme Court of India
Notes
- Also served as acting President of India and Vice President of India
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