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CJI Surya Kant shares emotional struggle story in Supreme Court (Img: Dynamite News)
New Delhi: An emotional moment unfolded in the Supreme Court of India when Chief Justice Surya Kant shared a deeply personal story from his early career while hearing a plea filed by judicial services aspirant Prerna Gupta.
Gupta had approached the apex court seeking re-evaluation of her answer sheet in a judicial services examination. During the hearing, the Chief Justice spoke about setbacks, uncertainty and career choices, leaving the courtroom silent and reflective.
Recalling his student days, CJI Surya Kant said that in 1984, during the final year of his law studies, he had appeared for the judicial services examination. After clearing the written test, he began preparing for the interview while simultaneously starting legal practice at the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
The Chief Justice narrated that one of the judges on the interview panel had recently seen him argue two significant cases in court. Before the interview, the judge reportedly called him into his chamber and asked whether he genuinely wanted to become a judicial officer.
When Surya Kant replied in the affirmative, the judge immediately told him, “Get out of my chamber.”
The CJI said the remark left him shaken and convinced that his career had come to an end. He recalled walking out of the chamber trembling and deeply disappointed.
However, the story took a different turn the very next day. The same judge called him again and advised him to consider continuing at the Bar instead of joining the judiciary, saying he had greater potential as a lawyer.
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CJI Surya Kant said he took that advice seriously and eventually decided to skip the interview process altogether to focus entirely on legal practice. He also revealed that he did not even inform his parents about the decision in the beginning.
While interacting with Prerna Gupta during the hearing, the Chief Justice smiled and asked, “Now tell me, did I make the right decision or the wrong one?”
He then advised young aspirants not to limit their lives to a single examination or one answer sheet. Encouraging candidates to look ahead and explore new opportunities, he stressed that setbacks do not define a person’s future. Although the petition was dismissed, the hearing ended on an emotional and hopeful note.
