Incoming CJI Surya Kant Vows to Tackle Pending Cases and Promote Mediation in India's Judiciary

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Justice Surya Kant, set to become India's 53rd Chief Justice on Monday, has outlined his top priorities: reducing the Supreme Court's massive backlog of 90,000 pending cases and promoting mediation as a dispute resolution method. This comes as outgoing CJI BR Gavai steps down from the post on Sunday. In an address to reporters on Saturday, Justice Kant acknowledged the daunting task ahead, citing the Supreme Court's pendency of cases as his "first and foremost challenge." He also pledged to seek regular reports from high courts and trial courts nationwide to monitor progress. Mediation, he emphasized, holds great potential as a game-changing dispute resolution approach. He pointed to a recent example where a single judgment resolved over 1,200 land acquisition cases in Delhi, illustrating the impact that effective dispute resolution can have. When asked about strategies to tackle the pending cases, Justice Kant highlighted the need for larger constitution benches to tackle complex legal and constitutional questions. He also noted that many cases remain pending in high courts due to related matters awaiting decisions from the Supreme Court. Justice Kant also expressed his views on online trolling of judges, stating that once appointed, judges should not be troubled by social media comments. He emphasized that fair criticism of judges and judgments is always acceptable, but excessive online harassment should not be tolerated. As the incoming CJI, Justice Kant will serve a 15-month term before leaving office on February 9, 2027, when he turns 65. He was appointed by President Droupadi Murmu on October 30, and is set to take the oath of office on November 24.