Justice B.R. Gavai sworn in as Chief Justice of India

Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai was sworn in by President Droupadi Murmu as the 52nd Chief Justice of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Wednesday (May 14, 2025).

Justice Gavai is the first Buddhist Chief Justice of India. He took his oath of office, pledging his commitment to uphold the Constitution and faithfully discharge duties, in Hindi.

Chief Justice Gavai acknowledged the applause with folded hands, shook hands with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, other dignitaries and family members sitting in the foremost row, including his immediate predecessor, Justice Sanjiv Khanna. The Chief Justice of India touched his mother’s feet. Prime Minister Modi was also seen going upto the Chief Justice’s mother to greet her. The ceremony concluded with the rendering of the National Anthem.

Judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts, both sitting and retired, were present at the ceremony.

Chief Justice Gavai would be heading straight to the Supreme Court for a cup of tea with his colleagues before they take on the day’s load of cases listed for hearing. The CJI would continue to share his Bench with Justice Augustine George Masih.

The Chief Justice is expected to call a meeting of all the judges to discuss the road ahead, share his vision and take suggestions. There is hardly 10 days before the court goes into the annual summer recess, though it would be partly working with at least three Benches hearing cases at a time.

Chief Justice Gavai has a tenure of over six months till November 23, 2025.

He was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court on May 24, 2019 from the Bombay High Court.

Born on November 24, 1960 at Amravati, Justice Gavai Khanna joined the Bar on March 16, 1985. Justice Gavai’s father, Ramakrishna Suryabhan Gavai, also known as ‘Dadasaheb’, was a former Governor of Bihar and a prominent Dalit leader.

Known as a bold and decisive judge who speaks his mind, Justice Gavai was part of many impactful decisions at the Supreme Court, including the upholding of abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution and the striking down of the electoral bonds scheme.

The Judge was part of a Constitution Bench which held that States have a right to sub-classify Scheduled Castes notified in the Presidential List in order to provide them more preferential treatment in public employment and education.

Justice Gavai’s judgment in the Manish Sisodia bail case had fortified the right to personal liberty. He headed the Bench which had ordered the release of Perarivalan, a convict in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

Justice Gavai practised independently in the Bombay High Court from 1987 to 1990. After 1990, he had practised mainly before Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court.

He had practised in Constitutional and Administrative Law, and was a Standing Counsel for Municipal Corporation of Nagpur, Amravati Municipal Corporation and Amravati University.

Justice Gavai was elevated as Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court in 2003 and became a Permanent Judge in November 2005.