Justice Gavai succeeds Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who today assumed office as the 51st Chief Justice of India (CJI).
NEW DELHI: President Droupadi Murmu has appointed Supreme Court Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai as the new Executive Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA).
Justice Gavai succeeds Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who today assumed office as the 51st Chief Justice of India (CJI).
Under the Legal Services Authority Act of 1987, the CJI serves as NALSA’s Patron-in-Chief. The President, in consultation with the CJI, appoints an active or retired Supreme Court judge as NALSA’s Executive Chairman. Traditionally, this role is held by the second senior-most judge of the Supreme Court.
Justice Gavai, currently the senior-most puisne judge, joined the Supreme Court in 2019. He is slated to become the CJI on May 14, 2025, following CJI Khanna’s retirement, and will serve until his retirement on November 23, 2025.
Justice Bhushan Ramakrishna Gavai
Justice Gavai was appointed to the Bombay High Court on November 14, 2003, serving there for 16 years before his elevation to the Supreme Court on May 24, 2019.
When recommending Justice Gavai, the Collegium noted it was considering seniority, integrity, merit, and “due representation” in the Supreme Court. Justice Gavai is the first Scheduled Caste judge appointed to the Supreme Court since Justice KG Balakrishnan’s retirement in 2010. If the seniority principle is maintained, Justice Gavai is expected to serve as the Chief Justice of India from May 14 to November 24, 2025.
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