Justice B.R. Gavai sworn in as 52nd CJI

New Delhi, May 14:  Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai was sworn in this morning as the 52nd Chief Justice of India (CJI) in a ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

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President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office, marking a historic moment as Justice Gavai becomes the first Buddhist and only the second individual from the Dalit community to hold the nation's highest judicial position.

Justice Gavai's tenure as CJI will last for over six months, with his term set to conclude on November 23, 2025.

Justice Gavai's appointment was cleared by the Centre on April 29, following the recommendation of then Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who had proposed Justice Gavai as his successor.

A notification issued by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice confirmed the appointment: "In exercise of the powers conferred by Clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai, Judge of the Supreme Court, to be the Chief Justice of India with effect from 14th May, 2025."

Justice Gavai was elevated to the Supreme Court bench on May 24, 2019. Over the last six years, he has been part of nearly 700 Benches, presiding over cases spanning a wide range of legal domains, including constitutional and administrative law, civil and criminal law, commercial disputes, arbitration, electricity law, education law, and environmental law.

He has authored around 300 judgments, including those of the Constitution Bench, consistently upholding the rule of law and safeguarding the fundamental, human, and legal rights of citizens.

Before ascending to the Supreme Court, Justice Gavai served as an Additional Judge at the Bombay High Court from November 2003 and became a permanent Judge in November 2005. He had a distinguished legal career prior to his judicial appointment, specializing in constitutional and administrative law.

He also served as the Standing Counsel for the Municipal Corporation of Nagpur, Amravati Municipal Corporation, and Amravati University. His earlier roles include being appointed as Assistant Government Pleader and Additional Public Prosecutor at the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court from August 1992 to July 1993, followed by his appointment as Government Pleader and Public Prosecutor for the Nagpur Bench on January 17, 2000.