New Delhi: Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai on Wednesday took over as the 52nd Chief Justice of India.
President Droupadi Murmu administered him the oath of office and secrecy at a simple but impressive ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior Cabinet ministers were present at the oath ceremony.
Justice Gavai succeeds Chief Justice Sanjeev Khanna who superannuated on Tuesday. He will serve as CJI for six months only and is going to complete his term by November 23.
Justice Gavai’s wife, his mother and other family members were present on the occasion. After taking oath as Chief Justice, he touched his mother’s feet.
Justice Khanna retired as the 51st Chief Justice on Tuesday, May 13. He had recommended Justice Gavai as the Chief Justice as his successor. He was promoted as a judge of the SC on May 24, 2019. He will retire on November 23, 2025. It is worth noting that the retirement age of judges in the Supreme Court is 65 years.
Justice Gavai’s elevation is being considered a milestone in the history of the apex court, as he is the second person from the Scheduled Caste community to reach the top post in the judiciary after former Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan.
Justice Gavai is the son of RS Gavai, a well-known politician, prominent Ambedkarite, former MP and governor of many states.
He started practising law on March 16, 1985, after completing his BA, LLB degree from Nagpur University. He practised independently in the Bombay High Court from 1987 to 1990. After the year 1990, he practised mainly in constitutional law and administrative law before the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court.
Justice Gavai was promoted as an additional judge of the High Court on November 14, 2003. He became a permanent judge of the Bombay High Court on November 12, 2005.
Justice Gavai, during his tenure as a High Court judge, headed benches with all kinds of workloads, including the principal bench at Mumbai as well as benches at Nagpur, Aurangabad and Panaji.
He laid the foundation of his legal career till 1987 (a brief stint) with late barrister Raja S. Bhosale, former advocate general of Maharashtra and judge of Bombay High Court.
The new CJI has been part of several constitutional bench judgements in the apex court, including those on demonetisation, Article 370, the electoral bond scheme and sub-classification within SC/ST categories. He had strongly advocated the introduction of a creamy layer among SC/ST.
UNI
