justice-br-gavai-set-to-be-next-chief-justice-of-india

Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai is expected to become the next Chief Justice of India, following the recommendation made by the current Chief Justice, Sanjiv Khanna.

 

As per established tradition, the sitting Chief Justice proposes the name of the senior-most judge to succeed them. The Supreme Court has already sent Justice Gavai’s name to the Law Ministry for formal approval.

 

Justice Sanjiv Khanna is scheduled to retire on 13 May. If the appointment goes through as expected, Justice Gavai will take the oath of office on 14 May and become the 52nd Chief Justice of India.

 

However, his term is set to be brief, as he will retire in November 2025, giving him just around six months in the top judicial position.

 

Justice Gavai has had a long and distinguished career in the judiciary. He was born on 24 November 1960 in Amravati, Maharashtra.

 

He is the son of the late RS Gavai, a respected social activist and former Governor of Bihar and Kerala. Justice Gavai began his legal journey in the Bombay High Court, where he was appointed as an Additional Judge on 14 November 2003. 

 

Two years later, on 12 November 2005, he was made a Permanent Judge. He went on to serve in various benches including Mumbai, Nagpur, Aurangabad and Panaji, contributing to the legal landscape for over 15 years.

 

He was elevated to the Supreme Court on 24 May 2019. If appointed, Justice Gavai will become the second person from the Scheduled Caste community to hold the office of Chief Justice of India. The first was Justice KG Balakrishnan, who served until 2010.

 

Throughout his career, Justice Gavai has delivered several important judgments. He was part of the five-judge bench that upheld the 2016 demonetisation scheme, which declared certain currency notes invalid.

 

He wrote the majority opinion, supporting the government’s decision and holding that it passed the ‘test of proportionality’.

 

In another significant verdict, Justice Gavai ruled that authorities cannot demolish properties of accused persons without following due legal procedures. He emphasised that no executive body has the right to act as judge and executioner, and that any demolition must be carried out under the law.

 

Justice Gavai was also part of the bench that looked into the controversial Electoral Bond Scheme, which had raised concerns about the lack of transparency in political donations.