The Chief Justice of India is the head of the judiciary in the country and plays a crucial role in upholding the Constitution and ensuring justice for all citizens. Each CJI brings their own unique perspective and judicial philosophy to the role, shaping the direction of the Indian legal system during their tenure. With the establishment of the Supreme Court of India on 26 January 1950, 53 judges have served as the Chief Justice of India to date. Justice Suryakant is the 53rd Chief Justice of India.
The Chief Justice of India is appointed by the President of India and can hold office up to the age of 65 years. Generally, the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court of India is appointed as the Chief Justice of India. The constitution and jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of India are stated in detail from Article 124 to Article 147 of the Indian Constitution.
List of all the Chief Justices of India
Here's the list of the Chief Justices of India from 1950 to present. The list includes:
| No. | Name | Date of Appointment | Held Office Till |
| 1 | Hon'ble Justice Harilal Jekisundas Kania | 26/01/1950 | 06/11/1951 |
| 2 | Hon'ble Justice M. Patanjali Sastri | 07/11/1951 | 03/01/1954 |
| 3 | Hon'ble Justice Mehr Chand Mahajan | 04/01/1954 | 22/12/1954 |
| 4 | Hon'ble Justice Bijan Kumar Mukherjea | 23/12/1954 | 31/01/1956 |
| 5 | Hon'ble Justice Sudhi Ranjan Das | 01/02/1956 | 30/09/1959 |
| 6 | Hon'ble Justice Bhuvneshwar Prasad Sinha | 01/10/1959 | 31/01/1964 |
| 7 | Hon'ble Justice P.B. Gajendragadkar | 01/02/1964 | 15/03/1966 |
| 8 | Hon'ble Justice A.K. Sarkar | 16/03/1966 | 29/06/1966 |
| 9 | Hon'ble Justice K. Subba Rao | 30/06/1966 | 11/04/1967 |
| 10 | Hon'ble Justice K.N. Wanchoo | 12/04/1967 | 24/02/1968 |
| 11 | Hon'ble Justice M. Hidayatullah | 25/02/1968 | 16/12/1970 |
| 12 | Hon'ble Justice J.C. Shah | 17/12/1970 | 21/01/1971 |
| 13 | Hon'ble Justice S.M. Sikri | 22/01/1971 | 25/04/1973 |
| 14 | Hon'ble Justice A.N. Ray | 26/04/1973 | 28/01/1977 |
| 15 | Hon'ble Justice M. Hameedullah Beg | 29/01/1977 | 21/02/1978 |
| 16 | Hon'ble Justice Y.V. Chandrachud | 22/02/1978 | 11/07/1985 |
| 17 | Hon'ble Justice P.N. Bhagwati | 12/07/1985 | 20/12/1986 |
| 18 | Hon'ble Justice R.S. Pathak | 21/12/1986 | 18/06/1989 |
| 19 | Hon'ble Justice E.S. Venkataramiah | 19/06/1989 | 17/12/1989 |
| 20 | Hon'ble Justice Sabyasachi Mukherjee | 18/12/1989 | 25/09/1990 |
| 21 | Hon'ble Justice Ranganath Misra | 25/09/1990 | 24/11/1991 |
| 22 | Hon'ble Justice K.N. Singh | 25/11/1991 | 12/12/1991 |
| 23 | Hon'ble Justice M.H. Kania | 13/12/1991 | 17/11/1992 |
| 24 | Hon'ble Justice L.M. Sharma | 18/11/1992 | 11/02/1993 |
| 25 | Hon'ble Justice M.N. Venkatachaliah | 12/02/1993 | 24/10/1994 |
| 26 | Hon'ble Justice A.M. Ahmadi | 25/10/1994 | 24/03/1997 |
| 27 | Hon'ble Justice J.S. Verma | 25/03/1997 | 17/01/1998 |
| 28 | Hon'ble Justice M.M. Punchhi | 18/01/1998 | 09/10/1998 |
| 29 | Hon'ble Dr. Justice A.S. Anand | 10/10/1998 | 31/10/2001 |
| 30 | Hon'ble Justice S.P. Bharucha | 01/11/2001 | 05/05/2002 |
| 31 | Hon'ble Justice B.N. Kirpal | 06/05/2002 | 07/11/2002 |
| 32 | Hon'ble Justice G.B. Pattanaik | 08/11/2002 | 18/12/2002 |
| 33 | Hon'ble Justice V.N. Khare | 19/12/2002 | 01/05/2004 |
| 34 | Hon'ble Justice S. Rajendra Babu | 02/05/2004 | 31/05/2004 |
| 35 | Hon'ble Justice R.C. Lahoti | 01/06/2004 | 31/10/2005 |
| 36 | Hon'ble Justice Y.K. Sabharwal | 01/11/2005 | 13/01/2007 |
| 37 | Hon'ble Justice K.G. Balakrishnan | 14/01/2007 | 12/05/2010 |
| 38 | Hon'ble Justice S.H. Kapadia | 12/05/2010 | 28/09/2012 |
| 39 | Hon'ble Justice Altamas Kabir | 29/09/2012 | 18/07/2013 |
| 40 | Hon'ble Justice P. Sathasivam | 19/07/2013 | 26/04/2014 |
| 41 | Hon'ble Justice R. M. Lodha | 27/04/2014 | 27/09/2014 |
| 42 | Hon'ble Justice H.L. Dattu | 28/09/2014 | 02/12/2015 |
| 43 | Hon'ble Justice T. S. Thakur | 03/12/2015 | 03/01/2017 |
| 44 | Hon'ble Jagdish Singh Khehar | 04/01/2017 | 27/08/2017 |
| 45 | Hon'ble Justice Dipak Misra | 28/08/2017 | 02/10/2018 |
| 46 | Hon'ble Ranjan Gogoi | 03/10/2018 | 17/11/2019 |
| 47 | Hon'ble Sharad Arvind Bobde | 18/11/2019 | 23/04/2021 |
| 48 | Hon'ble Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana | 24/04/2021 | 26/08/2022 |
| 49 | Hon'ble UU Lalit | 27/08/2022 | 08/11/2022 |
| 50 | Hon'ble DY Chandrachud | 09/11/2022 | 10/11/2024 |
| 51 | Hon'ble Justice Sanjiv Khanna | 11/11/24 | 13/05/25 |
| 52 | Hon'ble Justice B R Gavai | 14/05/25 | 23/11/25 |
| 53 | Hon'ble Justice Surya Kant | 24/11/25 | 09/02/26 |
Source: Supreme Court of India
Also Read| List of 9 Landmark Judgements by CJI Chandrachud! Everything You Need to Know
Who was the First Chief Justice of India?
The first Chief Justice of India was Harilal Jekisundas Kania, who served from January 26, 1950, until his death on November 6, 1951.
He was appointed as the inaugural CJI following the establishment of the Supreme Court of India, which replaced the Federal Court of India. Justice Kania played a crucial role in laying the foundation for the Indian judiciary in the post-independence era.
Justice Kania's tenure was marked by the early challenges of establishing judicial independence and interpreting the newly adopted Constitution of India. His leadership set important precedents for the functioning of the Supreme Court.
Who is the Current Chief Justice of India?
The current Chief Justice of India is Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai. He assumed office on May 14, 2025, and is the 52nd Chief Justice of India. His tenure is due to end on November 23, 2025.
Note: Justice Surya Kant has been appointed as the next Chief Justice of India (the 53rd) and is scheduled to assume office on November 24, 2025, upon the retirement of Justice Gavai.
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