Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna has officially recommended Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai as his successor, forwarding his name to the Union Law Ministry for approval. The recommendation sets the stage for Justice Gavai to become the 52nd Chief Justice of India.
Justice Gavai is slated to take oath as the 52nd CJI on May 14. CJI Khanna is due to retire on May 13.
Justice BR Gavai will be the Chief Justice of India for about six months as he is due to retire in November 2025.
After Justice KG Balakrishnan, who was elevated to the country's top judicial post in 2007, Justice BR Gavai will be the second Dalit to hold the Chief Justice position.
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As a senior Supreme Court judge, Justice Gavai has been involved in several landmark judgments, including the verdict upholding the Modi government's 2016 demonetisation decision and declaring the electoral bonds scheme unconstitutional.
A look at Justice Gavai's legal career
{{/usCountry}}As a senior Supreme Court judge, Justice Gavai has been involved in several landmark judgments, including the verdict upholding the Modi government's 2016 demonetisation decision and declaring the electoral bonds scheme unconstitutional.
A look at Justice Gavai's legal career
{{/usCountry}}Justice Gavai began his legal career in 1985. He initially worked with the late Raja S Bhonsale, former Advocate General and High Court Judge, before starting independent practice at the Bombay High Court in 1987.
Justice Gavai focused on Constitutional and Administrative Law and represented several civic and educational bodies, including the Municipal Corporations of Nagpur and Amravati, Amravati University, and state-run corporations such as SICOM and DCVL.
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He was appointed Assistant Government Pleader and Additional Public Prosecutor at the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court in 1992. He later became the Government Pleader and Public Prosecutor in 2000 for the same bench.
In 2003, he was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court.
Justice Gavai also served at the High Court’s principal seat in Mumbai and benches in Nagpur, Aurangabad, and Panaji. He was elevated to the Supreme Court on May 24, 2019.