The Chief Justices of India list is one of the most consistently tested topics in UPSC Prelims, SSC CGL, State PSC, and Banking General Awareness exams.
India\u2019s Supreme Court, established on 28 January 1950, has had 53 Chief Justices to date \u2014 spanning landmark constitutional verdicts, judicial firsts, and pivotal moments in Indian democracy. This page gives you a complete, updated list of all Chief Justices of India with their tenures, notable firsts, and exam-critical facts for focused, confident revision.
⚡ Quick Facts
- H.J. Kania was the first Chief Justice of India (26 Jan 1950 \u2013 6 Nov 1951).
- Justice K.G. Balakrishnan (2007\u20132010) was the first Dalit Chief Justice of India.
- Justice M. Fatima Beevi was the first woman judge of the Supreme Court (1989) \u2014 but India has NOT yet had a woman Chief Justice.
- Justice K.N. Singh had the shortest tenure as CJI \u2014 just 17 days (25 Nov \u2013 12 Dec 1991).
- Justice Surya Kant became the 53rd Chief Justice of India on 24 November 2025, succeeding B.R. Gavai (52nd CJI, May\u2013Nov 2025) who in turn succeeded Sanjiv Khanna (51st CJI, Nov 2024\u2013May 2025).
Students confuse D.Y. Chandrachud (48th CJI) with Y.V. Chandrachud (16th CJI) \u2014 they are son and father respectively, the only father-son CJI pair in Indian history. Also: K.R. Narayanan was the first Dalit PRESIDENT \u2014 K.G. Balakrishnan was the first Dalit CJI (2007\u20132010) and B.R. Gavai was the second Dalit CJI (2025, also first Buddhist CJI). These are separate firsts tested independently. And M. Hidayatullah served as CJI, Acting President, AND Vice-President \u2014 all three roles.
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⚖️ Complete List of Chief Justices of India
| # ↕ | Chief Justice ↕ | Tenure | Duration | Decade ↕ | Notable Fact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | H.J. Kania | 26 Jan 1950 \u2013 6 Nov 1951 | ~1 yr 9 mo | 1950s | First Chief Justice of India |
| 2 | M. Patanjali Sastri | 7 Nov 1951 \u2013 3 Jan 1954 | ~2 yr 2 mo | 1950s | Early constitutional interpretation cases |
| 3 | Mehr Chand Mahajan | 4 Jan 1954 \u2013 22 Dec 1954 | ~11 mo | 1950s | Former PM of Jammu & Kashmir before judicial career |
| 4 | B.K. Mukherjea | 23 Dec 1954 \u2013 31 Jan 1956 | ~1 yr 1 mo | 1950s | Key early constitutional bench rulings |
| 5 | S.R. Das | 1 Feb 1956 \u2013 30 Sep 1959 | ~3 yr 8 mo | 1950s | Longest-serving CJI in early era |
| 6 | B.P. Sinha | 1 Oct 1959 \u2013 31 Jan 1964 | ~4 yr 4 mo | 1960s | Presided during Nehru era; key constitutional rulings |
| 7 | P.B. Gajendragadkar | 1 Feb 1964 \u2013 15 Mar 1966 | ~2 yr 1 mo | 1960s | Key labour and industrial law judgments |
| 8 | A.K. Sarkar | 16 Mar 1966 \u2013 29 Jun 1966 | ~3 mo | 1960s | Brief tenure |
| 9 | K. Subba Rao | 30 Jun 1966 \u2013 11 Apr 1967 | ~9 mo | 1960s | Resigned to contest Presidential election; lost to Zakir Husain |
| 10 | K.N. Wanchoo | 12 Apr 1967 \u2013 24 Feb 1968 | ~10 mo | 1960s | Led Wanchoo Committee on black money |
| 11 | M. Hidayatullah | 25 Feb 1968 \u2013 16 Dec 1970 | ~2 yr 10 mo | 1960s | Only CJI to serve as Acting President & Vice-President |
| 12 | J.C. Shah | 17 Dec 1970 \u2013 21 Jan 1971 | ~1 mo | 1970s | Led Shah Commission on Emergency excesses (after retirement) |
| 13 | S.M. Sikri | 22 Jan 1971 \u2013 25 Apr 1973 | ~2 yr 3 mo | 1970s | Presided over Kesavananda Bharati case (1973) — Basic Structure |
| 14 | A.N. Ray | 26 Apr 1973 \u2013 27 Jan 1977 | ~3 yr 9 mo | 1970s | Controversial supersession of 3 senior judges by Indira Gandhi |
| 15 | M.H. Beg | 28 Jan 1977 \u2013 21 Feb 1978 | ~1 yr | 1970s | Last CJI appointed during Emergency era |
| 16 | Y.V. Chandrachud | 22 Feb 1978 \u2013 11 Jul 1985 | ~7 yr 5 mo | 1980s | Longest-serving CJI in Indian history; father of DY Chandrachud (48th) |
| 17 | P.N. Bhagwati | 12 Jul 1985 \u2013 20 Dec 1986 | ~1 yr 5 mo | 1980s | Pioneer of Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in India |
| 18 | R.S. Pathak | 21 Dec 1986 \u2013 18 Jun 1989 | ~2 yr 6 mo | 1980s | Later became ICJ (International Court of Justice) judge |
| 19 | E.S. Venkataramiah | 19 Jun 1989 \u2013 17 Dec 1989 | ~6 mo | 1980s | Brief but notable tenure |
| 20 | S. Mukherjee | 18 Dec 1989 \u2013 25 Sep 1990 | ~9 mo | 1980s | Died in office \u2014 second CJI to die in office |
| 21 | Ranganath Misra | 26 Sep 1990 \u2013 24 Nov 1991 | ~1 yr 2 mo | 1990s | Later became NCM Chairman and Rajya Sabha MP |
| 22 | K.N. Singh | 25 Nov 1991 \u2013 12 Dec 1991 | 17 days | 1990s | Shortest tenure of any CJI — just 17 days |
| 23 | M.N. Venkatachaliah | 13 Dec 1991 \u2013 24 Oct 1993 | ~1 yr 10 mo | 1990s | Chaired National Commission to Review the Constitution (2000\u20132002) |
| 24 | A.M. Ahmadi | 25 Oct 1993 \u2013 24 Mar 1997 | ~3 yr 5 mo | 1990s | Key rulings on minority rights and secularism |
| 25 | J.S. Verma | 25 Mar 1997 \u2013 18 Jan 1998 | ~10 mo | 1990s | Led Verma Committee on sexual assault laws (2013, after retirement) |
| 26 | M.M. Punchhi | 18 Jan 1998 \u2013 9 Oct 1998 | ~8 mo | 1990s | Led Punchhi Commission on Centre-State relations |
| 27 | A.S. Anand | 10 Oct 1998 \u2013 31 Oct 2001 | ~3 yr | 1990s | Linked to establishment of NHRC chairmanship convention |
| 28 | S.P. Bharucha | 1 Nov 2001 \u2013 5 May 2002 | ~6 mo | 2000s | Key rulings on corruption in judiciary |
| 29 | B.N. Kirpal | 6 May 2002 \u2013 7 Nov 2002 | ~6 mo | 2000s | First CJI to advocate environmental rights prominently |
| 30 | G.B. Pattanaik | 8 Nov 2002 \u2013 18 Dec 2002 | ~6 weeks | 2000s | Very brief tenure |
| 31 | V.N. Khare | 19 Dec 2002 \u2013 1 May 2004 | ~1 yr 4 mo | 2000s | Key rulings on federalism |
| 32 | S. Rajendra Babu | 2 May 2004 \u2013 31 May 2004 | ~1 mo | 2000s | Brief tenure |
| 33 | R.C. Lahoti | 1 Jun 2004 \u2013 31 Oct 2005 | ~1 yr 5 mo | 2000s | Key rulings on right to information |
| 34 | Y.K. Sabharwal | 1 Nov 2005 \u2013 13 Jan 2007 | ~1 yr 2 mo | 2000s | Key sealing and demolition drive rulings in Delhi |
| 35 | K.G. Balakrishnan | 14 Jan 2007 \u2013 11 May 2010 | ~3 yr 4 mo | 2000s | First Dalit Chief Justice of India |
| 36 | S.H. Kapadia | 12 May 2010 \u2013 28 Sep 2012 | ~2 yr 4 mo | 2010s | Key rulings on taxation and arbitration |
| 37 | Altamas Kabir | 29 Sep 2012 \u2013 18 Jul 2013 | ~10 mo | 2010s | Key rulings on LGBTQ+ rights and election law |
| 38 | P. Sathasivam | 19 Jul 2013 \u2013 26 Apr 2014 | ~9 mo | 2010s | First CJI to become Governor (Kerala) after retirement |
| 39 | R.M. Lodha | 27 Apr 2014 \u2013 27 Sep 2014 | ~5 mo | 2010s | Led BCCI reforms committee after retirement |
| 40 | H.L. Dattu | 28 Sep 2014 \u2013 2 Dec 2015 | ~1 yr 2 mo | 2010s | Key rulings on NJAC and judicial appointments |
| 41 | T.S. Thakur | 3 Dec 2015 \u2013 3 Jan 2017 | ~1 yr 1 mo | 2010s | Publicly highlighted judicial vacancy crisis |
| 42 | J.S. Khehar | 4 Jan 2017 \u2013 27 Aug 2017 | ~8 mo | 2010s | First Sikh Chief Justice of India; presided over Triple Talaq verdict |
| 43 | Dipak Misra | 28 Aug 2017 \u2013 2 Oct 2018 | ~1 yr 1 mo | 2010s | Section 377 decriminalisation; Aadhaar verdict |
| 44 | Ranjan Gogoi | 3 Oct 2018 \u2013 17 Nov 2019 | ~1 yr 1 mo | 2010s | Ayodhya verdict (2019); later nominated to Rajya Sabha |
| 45 | S.A. Bobde | 18 Nov 2019 \u2013 23 Apr 2021 | ~1 yr 5 mo | 2020s | Presided during COVID-19 pandemic; farmers\u2019 protest committee |
| 46 | N.V. Ramana | 24 Apr 2021 \u2013 26 Aug 2022 | ~1 yr 4 mo | 2020s | Key rulings on press freedom; Pegasus case; judicial appointments |
| 47 | U.U. Lalit | 27 Aug 2022 \u2013 8 Nov 2022 | ~2 mo | 2020s | First CJI elevated directly from the Bar (not via High Court) |
| 48 | D.Y. Chandrachud | 9 Nov 2022 \u2013 10 Nov 2024 | ~2 yr | 2020s | Son of Y.V. Chandrachud (#16); Article 370, electoral bonds, same-sex marriage cases |
| 49 | Sanjiv Khanna | 11 Nov 2024 \u2013 13 May 2025 | ~6 mo | 2020s | 51st CJI; electoral bonds verdict; retired May 2025 |
| 50 | B.R. Gavai | 14 May 2025 \u2013 23 Nov 2025 | ~6 mo | 2020s | 52nd CJI; 2nd Dalit & 1st Buddhist CJI; succeeded by Surya Kant |
| 51 | Surya Kant | 24 Nov 2025 \u2013 present | Ongoing | 2020s | 53rd CJI (current); first from Haryana; tenure till Feb 2027 |
⚖️ Compare Two Chief Justices
📝 Key Notes & Memory Tips
H.J. Kania was the first Chief Justice of India, taking office on 26 January 1950. Y.V. Chandrachud (#16) holds the record for the longest tenure \u2014 approximately 7 years and 5 months (1978\u20131985). K.N. Singh (#22) holds the record for the shortest \u2014 just 17 days in 1991. The Supreme Court replaced the Federal Court of India (which had existed since 1937).
- First CJI: H.J. Kania (1950)
- First Dalit CJI: K.G. Balakrishnan (2007\u20132010)
- Second Dalit & First Buddhist CJI: B.R. Gavai (May\u2013Nov 2025)
- First Sikh CJI: J.S. Khehar (2017)
- First CJI elevated directly from the Bar: U.U. Lalit (2022)
- First CJI to become Governor after retirement: P. Sathasivam (Kerala, 2014)
- First CJI from Haryana: Surya Kant (2025\u2013present)
- CJI who also served as Acting President & Vice-President: M. Hidayatullah
M. Hidayatullah (CJI #11) is unique in Indian constitutional history \u2014 he is the only person to have served as Chief Justice of India (1968\u20131970), Acting President of India (1969), and Vice-President of India (1979\u20131984). This triple role makes him one of the most tested individuals in Indian polity GK.
Kesavananda Bharati case (1973) \u2014 presided by CJI S.M. Sikri; established the Basic Structure Doctrine. A.N. Ray\u2019s controversial appointment by superseding 3 senior judges remains one of the most debated moments in Indian judicial history. Ranjan Gogoi presided over the Ayodhya verdict (2019). D.Y. Chandrachud presided over the Article 370 abrogation verdict and the electoral bonds case.
D.Y. Chandrachud (48th CJI, 2022\u20132024) and his father Y.V. Chandrachud (16th CJI, 1978\u20131985) are the only father-son pair to both serve as Chief Justice of India. D.Y. Chandrachud presided over landmark cases including Article 370 abrogation, electoral bonds, and same-sex marriage hearings. Sanjiv Khanna became the 51st CJI on 11 November 2024.
\u201cKania Started, Chandrachud Stayed, Singh Sprinted\u201d
K = H.J. Kania (First CJI, 1950) | C = Y.V. Chandrachud (Longest \u2014 7+ years) | S = K.N. Singh (Shortest \u2014 17 days)
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H.J. Kania (Harilal Jekisundas Kania) was the first Chief Justice of India, serving from 26 January 1950 \u2014 when the Supreme Court of India was established \u2014 until 6 November 1951. He had earlier served as the Chief Justice of the Federal Court of India.
Y.V. Chandrachud served as the 16th Chief Justice of India from 22 February 1978 to 11 July 1985 \u2014 a tenure of approximately 7 years and 5 months, the longest of any CJI in Indian history. His son D.Y. Chandrachud later became the 48th CJI (2022\u20132024).
Justice K.G. Balakrishnan served as the 35th Chief Justice of India from 14 January 2007 to 11 May 2010, becoming the first Dalit Chief Justice of India. He later served as Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
M. Hidayatullah is the only person in Indian constitutional history to have served as Chief Justice of India (1968\u20131970), Acting President of India (1969), and Vice-President of India (1979\u20131984). He also authored several landmark books on Indian constitutional law.
CJI S.M. Sikri presided over the 13-judge Constitutional Bench that delivered the Kesavananda Bharati verdict on 24 April 1973. The ruling established that Parliament cannot alter the Basic Structure of the Constitution \u2014 one of the most significant constitutional judgments in Indian history.
✅ Key Takeaways
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Justice Surya Kant is the current (53rd) Chief Justice of India, having assumed office on 24 November 2025. He succeeded B.R. Gavai (52nd CJI, May\u2013Nov 2025), who in turn succeeded Sanjiv Khanna (51st CJI, Nov 2024\u2013May 2025). Justice Surya Kant, the first CJI from Haryana, is expected to serve until February 2027. Justice B.R. Gavai made history as the first Buddhist and second Dalit CJI before retiring in November 2025.
India has had 53 Chief Justices since the Supreme Court was established on 26 January 1950. The first was H.J. Kania and the current (as of 2026) is Justice Surya Kant (53rd CJI). The high number of CJIs relative to India\u2019s 75+ year constitutional history reflects the fact that many CJIs served very short tenures \u2014 some as brief as a few weeks \u2014 because the appointment is strictly based on seniority and the retirement age of 65 leaves little time for judges appointed late in their careers.
The Chief Justice of India is appointed by the President of India under Article 124(2) of the Constitution. The convention \u2014 established through the collegium system \u2014 is that the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court is appointed as CJI. The CJI holds office until the age of 65 years. Article 124(3) lays down the qualifications for appointment as a Supreme Court judge, which applies to the CJI as well. The collegium system (comprising the CJI and the 4 most senior SC judges) recommends judicial appointments.
The CJI list is tested across UPSC Prelims (Polity and Current Affairs), SSC CGL, Banking General Awareness, and State PSC exams. Key tested facts include the first CJI (H.J. Kania), the current CJI (Surya Kant, 53rd, 2025\u2013present), the longest-serving CJI (Y.V. Chandrachud), the shortest-serving CJI (K.N. Singh \u2014 17 days), firsts by community (first Dalit \u2014 K.G. Balakrishnan; second Dalit & first Buddhist \u2014 B.R. Gavai; first Sikh \u2014 J.S. Khehar), M. Hidayatullah\u2019s triple constitutional role, the Chandrachud father-son legacy, and landmark judgments associated with specific CJIs.
