Senior advocate Dushyant Dave calls for a minimum 3-year term for Chief Justices, citing short tenures hinder judicial impact. His remarks follow CJI Gavai’s 6-month term.
New Delhi: In an exclusive interview with CNBC-TV18 on July 17, senior advocate Dushyant Dave strongly expressed the need for longer tenures for the Chief Justice of India (CJI).
Dave, who recently retired after serving in the legal field for more than 48 years, stated that the top position in the Indian judiciary deserves more time to make a meaningful impact.
“CJI should have a tenure of at least three years. We cannot have CJI for a few months or weeks,”
Dave said during the interview. He emphasised that the Chief Justice’s role is too important to be limited by brief tenures, as it does not allow sufficient time to deliver lasting reforms or decisions.
Currently, Chief Justice B.R. Gavai, who took oath as the 52nd CJI on May 14, 2025, will only serve till November 2025, giving him a short tenure of just about six months. Dave highlighted that such short appointments are not ideal for the judiciary.
He stated,
“The apex office in the Indian judiciary cannot have judges for only a few months as that does not provide enough time for service,”
This pattern of short tenures has been seen recently with Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who became the Chief Justice in November 2024 and retired in May 2025 — serving for less than seven months.
He had succeeded Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, who served from November 2022 to November 2024 — one of the relatively longer tenures in recent years. Before that, Justice U.U. Lalit held the post for just over two months from August 2022 to November 2022.
Dushyant Dave also shared that after stepping down from active legal practice, he plans to focus on personal passions like music and golf.
He claified,
“There was no specific reason for his retirement,”
He chose to retire at the age of 70, having already devoted over four decades to the legal profession.
Earlier, Dave had informed about his decision through a WhatsApp message sent to colleagues and friends in the legal community. In the message, he stated,
“After having spent 48 glorious years at the Bar and having just celebrated 70th wonderful birthday, I have decided to quit the profession of law.”
He also expressed gratitude and farewell, saying,
“Goodbye to all friends at the Bar and on the Bench.”
Dave concluded by saying he now looks forward to spending more time reading, travelling, and contributing to society in different ways.
His views on the need for a minimum three-year tenure for the CJI reflect a broader concern about judicial continuity and long-term planning within the Supreme Court of India.
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