On the historic day in the Indian judiciary today, Justice Bhushan Ramakrishna Gavai was sworn in as the 52nd Chief Justice (CJI) of the country. At a grand ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, President Draupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to Justice Gawai. With this, he became the new Chief Justice, assuming the important responsibility of the leadership of the Supreme Court. Justice Gawai will hold this post till 23 November 2025, as the retirement age of the judges of the Supreme Court is 65 years.
Justice BR Who is Gawai?
Justice BR, a native of Amravati, Maharashtra, Gawai’s legal career has been inspiring and fantastic. He was born in an ordinary family and through his hard work and dedication, he has created history by reaching the top position of the Supreme Court of India. His career began on 16 March 1985 with entry into the bar. He worked with former Advocate General and Bombay High Court Judge Raja S Bhosle from 1985 to 1987.
After 1990, Justice Gawai began practicing in constitutional and administrative law matters in the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court. During this time, he has also worked as a lawyer for Nagpur Municipal Corporation, Amravati Municipal Corporation and Amravati University. Due to his legal expertise and dedication, he was appointed as Assistant Public Prosecutor and Additional Public Prosecutor in the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court from 1992 to 1993. Later, he was appointed as a government prosecutor since 17 January 2000.
Travel from Bombay High Court to Supreme Court
A significant turn in Justice Gawai’s career came on 14 November 2003, when he was promoted as Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court. He became a permanent judge of this High Court on 12 November 2005. Apart from the main bench in Mumbai, he also provided judicial services in the backs of Nagpur, Aurangabad and Panaji. His fair and appropriate decisions brought him fame and on May 24, 2019 he was appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court.
Part of historical decisions
Justice Gawai has participated in several important and controversial cases as a judge of the Supreme Court. Some notable decisions given by his bench are as follows:
Decision decision: In January 2023, Justice Gawai was part of a five -judge bench, who upheld the 2016 decision of demonetisation of Rs 500 and 1000 rupee notes by the central government. This decision upheld the validity of demonetisation.
Article 370: In December 2023, Justice Gawai participated in the Constitution Bench, which upheld the Center’s decision to cancel Article 370 of the Constitution, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir. This decision achieved an important place in the political and constitutional history of the country.
Election Bond Plan: Justice Gawai was part of the Constitution Bench that canceled the Election Bond Scheme for political funding. This decision emphasized the transparency of political funds.
SC/ST sub-classification: Justice Gawai upheld the decision allowing sub-classification for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST). He emphasized that it is necessary to identify the “creamy layer” within these communities for true equality.
Criticism of bulldozer policy: In November 2024, a bench headed by Justice Gawai criticized the practice of demolishing the assets of criminals through bulldozers. He clarified that such action is illegal without a legal process.
A new chapter in the judiciary
The appointment of Justice Gawai is being seen as the beginning of a new chapter in the judiciary. Their fairness, commitment to constitutional values and dedication to social justice make him suitable candidates for this post. In addition to maintaining the independence and transparency of the judiciary during his tenure, special attention is expected to be paid to protect the rights of citizens.
