On 14-5-2025, Justice B.R. Gavai was sworn in as the 52nd Chief Justice of India thereby succeeding Justice Sanjiv Khanna. The oath of office to the new Chief Justice was administered by the President of India. Justice BR Gavai’s name for the position of Chief Justice was recommended by Justice Sanjiv Khanna on 16-4-2025 and his appointed was confirmed by the Ministry of Law and Justice on 29-4-2025.
Justice Gavai’s elevation as the Chief Justice of India is a milestone moment in the history of Supreme Court as he will be the first Buddhist to hold the position of CJI1 and only the 2nd Chief Justice belonging to the Scheduled Caste community after former CJI, Justice K.G. Balakrishnan.
However, very much like his predecessor, Justice Gavai will also hold the position of CJI for a duration of 6 months, as he is due to retire on 23-11-2025.
Know Thy New Chief Justice of India
Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai was born on 24-11-1960 at Amravati to late R.S. Gavai, who was a noted social activist, Member of Parliament and former Governor of Bihar and Kerala.
At the age of 25, Justice Gavai joined the Bar and enrolled as an advocate in 1985 and worked with late Bar. Raja S. Bhonsale, former Advocate General and Judge of High Court, till 19872. Justice Gavai then started to practice independently at Bombay High Court from 1987 to 1990 and after 1990, practised mainly before the Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court. His practise was mostly focussed on issues related to Constitutional Law and Administrative Law.
Justice Gavai served as the Standing Counsel for Municipal Corporation of Nagpur, Amravati Municipal Corporation and Amravati University and appeared regularly for various autonomous bodies and Corporations like SICOM, DCVL etc. and various Municipal Councils in Vidarbha region. Justice Gavai also served as Assistant Government Pleader and Additional Public Prosecutor in the High Court of Judicature at Bombay, Nagpur Bench, from August 1992 to July 1993.
He was then appointed as Government Pleader and Public Prosecutor for Nagpur Bench on 17-1-2000 and was later elevated as Additional Judge of the High Court on 14-11-2003.
Justice Gavai was then elevated Permanent Judge of the Bombay High Court on 12-11-2005. During his tenure as High Court Judge, Justice Gavai presided over Benches having all types of assignments at the Principal Seat at Mumbai as well as Benches at Nagpur, Aurangabad and Panaji.
In view of his extensive legal and judicial experience, Justice Gavai was then elevated as a Judge of the Supreme Court of India on 24-5-2019 and thereafter as the Chief Justice of India.
Recent notable Supreme Court decisions by Justice Gavai
In the last six years, Justice B.R. Gavai has been a part of around 700 Benches dealing with matters pertaining to variety of subjects including constitutional and administrative law, civil law, criminal law, commercial disputes, arbitration law, electricity law, education matters, environmental law, etc.
*Did you Know? Justice Gavai has authored around 300 judgments on various issues upholding the rule of law and safeguarding the fundamental rights, human rights and legal rights of citizens3.
In Directions in the matter of demolition of structures, In re, 2024 SCC OnLine SC 3291, challenging the ‘bulldozer actions’ against properties of persons accused of some crime, the Division Bench of BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan, JJ. condemning the bulldozer actions held that the properties/ houses of the houses of accused persons cannot be demolished by the State machinery only on the ground that they are accused or convicted of a crime. The Court laid down stringent norms to curb these bulldozer actions. The Court said that if such actions take place without following the process of law, the family of the accused/ convict will be entitled to compensation and the officers violating any of the directions laid down by the Court would face initiation of contempt proceedings in addition to the prosecution.
“A house is not just a property but embodies the collective hopes of a family or individuals for stability, security, and a future. Having a house or a roof over one’s head gives satisfaction to any person. It gives a sense of dignity and a sense of belonging. If this is to be taken away, then the authority must be satisfied that this is the only option available”.
In the Kancha Gachibowli forest matter, the division bench of BR Gavai and AG Masih, JJ. stayed the tree felling in Telangana’s Kancha Gachibowli forest area located near the Hyderabad Central University campus, where deforestation was being carried out for IT infrastructure development. The Bench directed the Registrar of the Telangana High Court to inspect the site and submit a report. Additionally, the Chief Secretary of Telangana has been instructed to ensure that no further tree felling takes place until further orders.
While considering the instant suo motu petition concerning the recent decision of Allahabad High Court, whereby it had held that grabbing breasts and breaking minor’s pajama string is not attempt to rape, but ‘aggravated sexual assault; the Division Bench of B.R. Gavai and Augustine George Masih, JJ., on 26-3-2025, put a stay on the impugned decision. The Court pointing out the specific paragraphs of the controversial decision, said that the impugned decision of the High Court displays lack of sensitivity.
The three-Judge Bench comprising Sanjiv Khanna, CJI and BR Gavai, and Surya Kant, JJ. relaxed the conditions for appointments of ad-hoc Judges in High Courts and directed that the High Courts can recommend the appointment of retired Judges on an ad-hoc basis to tackle pendency and clear the backlog of pending cases, which is mostly high in criminal matters. Further, the Bench also laid down that each High Court can appoint two to five Judges and in any case, the number should not exceed 10 percent of the sanctioned strength.
‘Indra Sawhney did not limit sub-classification to OBCs; Sub-classification of SC/STs permissible’
In State of Punjab v. Davinder Singh, (2025) 1 SCC 1, the seven Judge Constitution Bench comprising of Dr. DY Chandrachud, CJI, B.R. Gavai, Vikram Nath, Bela M. Trivedi, Pankaj Mithal, Manoj Misra, and Satish Chandra Sharma, JJ., by a majority of 6:1, held that sub-classification of Scheduled Castes among reserved categories is permissible for granting separate quotas for more backwards within the SC categories. Justice Bela M. Trivedi dissented holding that such sub-classification is not permissible.
Article 370 Verdict | Supreme Court upholds abrogation of Special Status for Jammu and Kashmir
The five-Judge Constitution Bench comprising of Chief Justice of India Dr. DY Chandrachud, Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, B.R. Gavai, and Surya Kant, JJ., delivered its verdict pertaining to the petitions filed against abrogation of Article 370 by the Central Government. The Bench unanimously upheld the Union’s action of abrogating Article 370.
1. Justice B.R Gavai to take oath as CJI: India Today
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