CJI B.R. Gavai retires after delivering 464 judgements and serving on 772 benches during a standout 6.5-year tenure. His authorship rate never fell below 50%, marking him as one of the Supreme Court’s most consistent judges.
Chief Justice B.R. Gavai retired from the Supreme Court on 23 November, bringing an end to a long and productive judicial career. His time at the top court is remembered for a very high number of judgements, a steady pace of work every year, and wide involvement in many branches of law.
Justice Gavai became a judge of the Supreme Court on 13 May 2019. On the same day, Justice Surya Kant—who is now the CJI-designate—was also elevated. With his retirement, only two judges from the Bombay High Court background now remain in the Supreme Court: Justice P.B. Varale and Justice A.S. Chandurkar.
During his six-year term, Justice Gavai wrote 464 judgements and sat on 772 benches. This shows the extent of his contribution and the consistency with which he handled cases.
A closer numerical look at his tenure shows that his service, authorship, and bench participation were all above the present average of sitting judges of the Supreme Court.
His total tenure of nearly 6.5 years is higher than the current average tenure of 5.1 years for sitting judges. A few judges are expected to serve even longer, such as Justice J.B. Pardiwala with about 8.25 years, Justice K.V. Viswanathan with 8 years, CJI-designate Justice Surya Kant and Justice V.M. Pancholi with 7.75 years each, Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Manoj Misra with 7.25 years, and Justice P.S. Narasimha with 6.75 years. In total, 16 sitting judges are expected to serve above-average tenures.
Justice Gavai’s judgement authorship stood out sharply. Among judges who have served more than two years in the Supreme Court, he leads with 464 judgements. On average, he wrote more than 70 judgements every year.
Only Justice B.V. Nagarathna comes close, with 333 judgements despite joining two years later—an average of 78 judgements per year. Justice Surya Kant, appointed on the same day as Justice Gavai, has authored 293 judgements so far, with an average of 45 per year.
These numbers highlight Justice Gavai’s steady and heavy output, marking him as one of the court’s most active writers.
His bench participation statistics also show a clear pattern. In his first year, he wrote 42 judgements while sitting on 63 benches, giving him an authorship rate of 66 percent. In 2020, he authored 45 judgements and sat on 65 benches, increasing the authorship rate to 69 percent.
Although he wrote even more in 2021, his bench participation increased sharply, which brought the authorship rate down to 55 percent. The year 2022 turned out to be his most productive year, with 98 judgements—the highest annual number of his tenure—and an authorship rate of 71 percent, the highest of his career.
In the following year, his authorship dropped to 56 judgements and the authorship rate slipped to 51 percent, which was still above the 50 percent mark that he never went below.
In 2024, he participated in 179 benches, the highest in his tenure, and authored 95 judgements. In his final year, he wrote 70 judgements. Throughout these years, he maintained a consistent pace and a strong presence on multiple benches.
Justice Gavai also displayed a broad subject-wise contribution. His workload covered almost every important branch of Supreme Court practice. He wrote 154 judgements in criminal law, 53 in service matters, and 44 in civil disputes.
He also delivered 34 judgements in direct tax cases and 26 in property-related cases. These figures show that he handled a wide variety of cases, touching core areas of litigation before the top court.
Justice B.R. Gavai’s retirement closes a significant chapter in the Supreme Court. His work rate, wide subject expertise, and steady authorship made him one of the most active judges of his time. His tenure will be remembered for its strong output, balanced approach, and consistent engagement with the law.
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