HT Digital
GUWAHATI, APR 17: Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna has recommended Justice B.R. Gavai for appointment as the 52nd Chief Justice of India (CJI), ahead of his own retirement scheduled for May 13.
Under the Memorandum of Procedure that governs the appointment of the Chief Justice and Supreme Court Judges, the Law Ministry formally seeks the outgoing Chief Justice’s recommendation, thus initiating the process for appointing the next CJI.
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Born on November 24, 1960, in Amravati, Justice Gavai enrolled with the Bar on March 16, 1985. His father, Ramakrishna Suryabhan Gavai, popularly known as ‘Dadasaheb’, was a distinguished Dalit leader and a former Governor of Bihar.
Justice Gavai, being the senior-most judge after the current Chief Justice, is next in line to assume the country’s highest judicial office. Elevated to the Supreme Court on May 24, 2019, he is slated to retire on November 23, 2025. Upon government notification, he would serve as CJI for a little over six months.
Throughout his tenure at the Supreme Court, Justice Gavai has been part of several landmark rulings. He was a member of the bench that upheld the abrogation of Article 370 and played a pivotal role in striking down the electoral bonds scheme. He also laid down comprehensive, pan-India guidelines to curb illegal demolitions, often referred to as the “bulldozer culture.”
Justice Gavai contributed significantly to a Constitution Bench judgment that allowed states to further sub-categorize Scheduled Castes under the Presidential list to enhance affirmative action in education and employment. His judgment in the Manish Sisodia bail case reinforced the constitutional right to personal liberty, and he also led the bench that ordered the release of Perarivalan, convicted in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.
Justice Gavai began his legal practice at the Bombay High Court in 1987, focusing on Constitutional and Administrative Law matters. He was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court in 2003 and became a Permanent Judge in November 2005.
