Chief Justice of India B R Gavai said the Supreme Court’s bulldozer action judgment gave him “immense satisfaction” as it focused on protecting families from arbitrary harassment. He credited Justice K V Viswanathan equally for the landmark ruling that set pan-India guidelines.
New Delhi: Chief Justice of India (CJI) B R Gavai has said that his judgment on the issue of bulldozer action gave him “immense satisfaction” as it dealt with the difficulties and sufferings of people.
On November 13, 2024, a Supreme Court bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan had delivered a landmark ruling. The bench equated “bulldozer justice” with a completely lawless situation where “might was right”.
In the same judgment, the top court also laid down clear pan-India guidelines to check arbitrary demolitions and protect citizens’ rights.
Speaking at a felicitation function organised by a group of Supreme Court advocates on September 19, CJI Gavai recalled his experience of sharing the bench with Justice Viswanathan for around six months.
He said,
“One of the judgments, I think, which gave immense satisfaction to both of us was the bulldozer judgment. What was at the heart of the judgment was the human problems and the problems faced by human beings. The family being harassed only because they were part of the family of one of the members was either a criminal or an alleged criminal.”
The Chief Justice pointed out that even though he was mostly given credit for authoring the verdict, the contribution of Justice Viswanathan was equally significant.
“Though he was largely credited for it, equal credit in authoring the verdict should go to Justice Viswanathan,” he said.
CJI Gavai also spoke about the role of the Chief Justice in the overall judicial system and said that the length of a CJI’s tenure should not be linked with efficiency.
He observed,
“I don’t think the tenure of the Chief Justice has a direct relationship with the efficiency of the administration of the justice. We have had the best of the chief justices like Justice Lalit for two and a half months and Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who proved their imprint and they are known for their contribution to the distribution and administration of justice,”
He added that he tried to dedicate his time and efforts towards strengthening the justice delivery system and upgrading judicial infrastructure across India.
The CJI said,
“I have tried every moment for the betterment of the administration of justice and for bringing in improvement in the judicial infrastructure throughout the country and ensuring that the appointments to the high courts are taken to the logical end with expedition,”
Looking back at the past few years, CJI Gavai said the effort was also to promote young advocates and give them greater opportunities. According to him, giving representation to young lawyers who practise before the Supreme Court was an important priority.
He added,
“We are all sure that the rich experience that they gather in the Supreme Court really helps in bringing out the efficiency or enhancing the efficiency at the high court level,”
The CJI’s remarks underline not just the significance of the bulldozer verdict in protecting fundamental rights but also his broader vision for judicial reforms, faster appointments in higher courts, and creating opportunities for the next generation of lawyers.
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