India, Dec. 15 -- Justice Surya Kant has recently taken oath as the 53rd Chief Justice of India (CJI) at a time when India's justice system is not merely burdened but is at its tipping point of explosion. With judicial pendency over 50 million cases, and the increasing expectations of the public from the judiciary, the office of the CJI has a greater institutional responsibility. The new CJI will hold office for nearly 15 months, a relatively long period. It is notable that among the last ten CJIs, only three of them have had a tenure of more than 15 months-Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice SA Bobde, and Justice NV Ramana. And it is remarkable that of the next eight judges of the Supreme Court who are expected to become CJIs on the basis of...