justice-br-gavai-appointed-next-chief-justice-of-india

President Droupadi Murmu has appointed Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai as the 52nd Chief Justice of India. Justice Gavai will assume office on 14 May, succeeding incumbent Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who is due to retire a day earlier.

 

 

The Union Law Minister, Arjun Ram Meghwal, confirmed the appointment via a post on microblogging platform X, stating: “In exercise of the powers conferred by the Constitution of India is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai, Judge of the Supreme Court of India as the Chief Justice of India with effect from 14th May, 2025 [sic].”

 

Justice Gavai is currently the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court after CJI Khanna. As per the established convention, Justice Khanna had formally recommended Gavai's name to the Centre on 16 April.

 

Upon taking charge, Justice Gavai will become only the second Chief Justice of India belonging to the Scheduled Caste community, after Justice K G Balakrishnan, who demitted office in 2010.

 

Justice Gavai will have a six-month tenure as the head of the Indian judiciary, retiring on 23 December upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 65.

 

Justice Gavai was born on 24 November 1960 in Amravati, Maharashtra. He began his legal practice in 1985 under the mentorship of Raja S Bhonsale, a former Advocate General and High Court judge. By 1987, he commenced independent practice at the Bombay High Court, focusing on constitutional and administrative law.

 

He appeared on behalf of several public bodies, including the Nagpur and Amravati municipal corporations, Amravati University, and state-run entities such as SICOM and DCVL. In 1992, he was appointed Assistant Government Pleader and Additional Public Prosecutor at the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court. He was promoted to Government Pleader and Public Prosecutor in 2000.

 

Justice Gavai was elevated to the Bombay High Court as an Additional Judge on 14 November 2003 and became a permanent judge in 2005. Over his career, he served at the principal bench in Mumbai and at benches in Nagpur, Aurangabad and Panaji.

 

He was elevated to the Supreme Court of India on 24 May 2019 and has served on several Constitution benches since.