Justice Surya Kant visits High Court Bar, personally invites members to his oath as CJI

As chief justices and judges from 11 nations prepare to assemble in New Delhi to witness his elevation as the next Chief Justice of India, Justice Surya Kant chose a different journey — one that led him back to where it all began, the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar — to thank, remember, and personally invite those who once shaped his four-decade voyage from the Bar to the nation’s highest bench.

In an emotional interaction that turned the Bar hall into a reunion of sorts, Justice Surya Kant recalled his early years, his seniors, mentors and friends, and the lessons learned within the same corridors where he once stood as a young lawyer. “I belong to the Bar,” Justice Surya Kant said simply, drawing warm applause from advocates who packed the hall to capacity.

The Chief Justice (Designate) disclosed that Rashtrapati Bhavan had space constraints. As such, he had made special arrangements for members of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar in the new Supreme Court Auditorium to watch the oath ceremony via live streaming. “After the oath, I will return to the Supreme Court to personally meet all visiting members,” Justice Surya Kant said, making it clear that his elevation was as much a moment of pride for the institution as for him.

Bar Association president Sartej Singh Narula said Justice Surya Kant had even arranged vehicle entry and breakfast for the visiting members at the Supreme Court and urged advocates to submit their names and vehicle numbers on a first-come-first-served basis.

Back in Chandigarh, the Bar Association announced plans to install a large screen in the main Bar Hall for live streaming of the oath ceremony so that members could share the historic moment together. It is the first time in recallable past that a Chief Justice of India (Designate) has personally visited the Bar to invite its members and judges.

Justice Surya Kant’s journey from the same Bar to the country’s highest judicial office has been remarkable — he enrolled as an advocate in 1985, became the youngest Advocate-General of Haryana at 38, was elevated as a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court before turning 42, later served as Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, and was elevated to the Supreme Court in 2019.