Justice BR Gavai Takes Oath as 52nd Chief Justice of India:

Suspense crime, Digital Desk : Justice Bhushan Ramakrishna Gavai has taken his oath as the 52nd Chief Justice of India, with President Draupadi Murmu administering it at Rashtrapati Bhavan. This is a momentous occasion for Indian judiciary as Justice Gavai becomes the first Buddhist to hold the position, and the second from the Scheduled Caste community, following Justice KG Balakrishnan.

Justice Gavai succedes Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who retired not long ago. His appointment as Chief Justice is temporary, set to end on November 23, 2025.

High Profile Attendees at the Event

The oath ceremony took place at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Among the most notable attendees were Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, and Former President Ram Nath Kovind, accompanied by a number of other officials.

A Short Biography of Justice B R Gavai

Justice B R Gavai was born on the 24th of November in sixty Amravatic, Maharashtra. He began his career in the legal field in ’85’ and trained under a notable professional, S Bhosale, who was an advocate and judge of the high court. Gavai launched his own practice in the Bombay High Court in ‘87.

In 1992, he took on an appointment as the Assistant Government Pleader and Additional Public Prosecutor for the Nagpur Bench with the Bombay High Court. Further into his career with the government, in 2000, he advanced to the position of Government Pleader and Public Prosecutor in the same region.

Judicial Career and Contributions

In 2003 Justice Gavai became an Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court and he was confirmed in 2005. His jurisdiction included the benches in Mumbai, Nagpur, Aurangabad, and Panaji and he dealt with various types of matters.

He joined the Supreme Court in 2019 and was to be the Chief Justice as proposed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna.

Notable Judgments and Legal Impact

Justice Gavai has been a part of important decisions throughout his professional life. He is a member of the constitutional bench that struck down the 2018 electoral bonds scheme. He was also involved in major decisions for the NewsClick’s editor Prabir Purkayastha and ex-Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia of Delhi.

In November 2024 a bench head by him decided dismantling of structures without going through appropriate legal processes is unlawful and and is a violation of the rule of law.