Haryana's Petwar village awaits 'second Diwali' as Justice Surya Kant set to be CJI

Residents of Petwar village in the district are waiting for the second Diwali of the year. A native of the village, Justice Surya Kant is poised to be elevated to the post of the Chief Justice of India (CJI).

As reports regarding the Centre initiating the process to appoint the next CJI, as the incumbent, Justice BR Gavai, demits office on November 23, reached Petwar, villagers said it would be a proud moment for the village and the state.

Rishi Kant, elder brother of Justice Surya Kant and a retired government teacher, said he arrived at the village a day before Diwali to meet his family and extend Diwali greetings to them and other villagers.

“Filled with nostalgia, he also visited Government Primary School and the ancestral haveli where he was born,” said Rishi Kant. “He matriculated from Government School and graduated from Government PG College in Hisar,” he informed.

Justice Surya Kant completed his LLB from Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, in 1984, and started practice as a lawyer in the district courts. Later, he shifted to the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

"Justice Surya Kant is a reflection of simplicity and hard work," said Satbir Singh, another villager. “He has great regard for hardworking children and visits the village every year to honour meritorious students of classes 10 and 12 with cash prize. His presence has been a great source of inspiration for students of the village,” he said, adding that it would be a second Diwali for the village “that a person from a rural family has gone on to occupy the highest chair of justice in the country”.

Rishi Kant said they are five siblings. “Our father Madan Gopal, who was a Sanskrit teacher, taught us at the government school in the village. Our family runs Pandit Ramprasad Atmaram Charitable Trust, which honours meritorious students," he said.

Talking about his siblings, he said their eldest sister, Kamala Devi, is married in Jind; Dr Shiv Kant runs a hospital in Bhiwani; and Dev Kant retired as a group instructor from an ITI. Justice Surya Kant is the youngest of the siblings.

Narnaund MLA Jassi Petwar, a native of the village, said, "It is a matter of pride that born in a modest family, Justice Surya Kant has reached the highest judicial office in the country through dedication and perseverance.”