Former CJI B.R. Gavai revealed he was criticised by his own community for holding that the creamy layer principle should apply to SC reservations. He linked his stance to Ambedkar’s real vision of social and economic justice.
Kerala High Court ruled that an unemployed, highly qualified wife cannot be denied maintenance merely for her earning potential. Section 125 CrPC ensures actual inability to sustain, granting maintenance until she earns enough to support herself, said the court.
CJI B.R. Gavai reiterated his support for applying the creamy layer rule to Scheduled Caste reservations, saying privileged SC families should not receive the same benefits as the poorest. His remarks, made days before retirement, revive a major national debate on affirmative action.
The Kerala High Court held that a woman’s right to maintenance from her son is independent of her husband’s obligation. The Court ordered a Gulf-based son to pay Rs 5,000 monthly to his 60-year-old mother despite her husband providing support.
CJI Gavai said achieving gender justice is not women’s responsibility alone, urging men to share power for society’s liberation while delivering the 30th Justice Sunanda Bhandare Memorial Lecture on the theme Justice for All: Building a Gender Equal and Inclusive India.
A Public Interest Litigation has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking to declare air pollution a National Public Health Emergency and to direct the government to create a time-bound National Action Plan with statutory backing for urgent implementation across India.
The Uttarakhand High Court observed that “compensation is not merely financial relief but a principle of social justice,” while upholding Rs.53.93 lakh awarded to a victim’s family and dismissing the insurance company’s appeal against the 2024 MACT order.
Justice Surya Kant, the senior-most Supreme Court judge, stressed that the judiciary must evolve and innovate to effectively tackle modern challenges like digital exclusion, climate change, displacement, and transnational migration, warning that failure to do so could limit its true potential.
At the 38th LAWASIA Conference, CJI BR Gavai called on lawyers and law firms to provide fair chances and supportive conditions for graduates from marginalized communities. He stressed that promoting diversity and inclusion is key to upholding constitutional values and social justice.
CJI BR Gavai shared how India’s Constitution turned his life from exclusion to equality. Speaking in Vietnam, he urged the legal community to make diversity and inclusion a living reality, not just an idea.
