Justice B.R. Gavai sworn in as the 52nd Chief Justice of India. His appointment reshapes the Supreme Court Collegium with a fresh lineup of senior judges.
Justice Bhushan Ramakrishna Gavai took oath as the 52nd Chief Justice of India (CJI) today. The oath ceremony was conducted at Rashtrapati Bhavan by the President of India, Droupadi Murmu. Justice Gavai will remain in office until November 23, 2025.
His appointment is seen as a landmark moment in Indian judicial history.
Justice Gavai has become the first Buddhist and only the second Dalit to be appointed to the highest post in the Indian judiciary. Before him, Justice K.G. Balakrishnan had held the post, retiring in 2010.
Born on November 24, 1960, in Amravati, Maharashtra, Justice Gavai began his legal career in 1985. After practicing law for several years, he was appointed as a judge of the Bombay High Court in 2003.
He continued to serve in the judiciary with dedication and in 2019, he was elevated to the Supreme Court of India.
During his time as a Supreme Court judge, Justice Gavai was part of several important decisions that had a major impact on the country.
These include the case related to the abrogation of Article 370, which removed the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, and the judgment on demonetisation, which dealt with the legal validity of the central government’s 2016 decision to ban high-value currency notes.
With Justice Gavai becoming the Chief Justice of India, the composition of the Supreme Court Collegium has also changed.
The collegium is the top body in the judiciary responsible for recommending the appointment and transfer of judges to the Supreme Court and High Courts.
Currently, the members of the Supreme Court Collegium are:
- Chief Justice B.R. Gavai
- Justice Suryakant
- Justice A.S. Oka, who is retiring on May 24, 2025
- Justice Vikram Nath
The normal structure of the collegium includes the Chief Justice of India and the two next senior-most judges of the Supreme Court. However, this time there is a slight change in the format.
“Normally, the collegium consists of the top two senior-most judges along with the Chief Justice but since retirement of Justice A.S. Oka which is due in just 10 days, the CJI in line Justice Vikram Nath has been added to the collegium also.”
This unusual situation has led to the inclusion of Justice Vikram Nath, who is next in the order of seniority, into the collegium.
Justice Oka is set to retire soon, so Justice Nath’s addition ensures that the collegium continues functioning smoothly and in line with seniority rules.
“With Oka set to retire in the next 10 days, the next judge in the order of seniority – Justice Vikram Nath – has also been inducted into the collegium.”
This means that the current Supreme Court Collegium, the apex body for judicial appointments and transfers, will now operate in this new format under the leadership of Chief Justice B.R. Gavai.
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Justice Gavai’s elevation is not only historic from a social perspective but also signals new changes in the top-level decision-making of the Indian judiciary.
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