Justice BR Gavai Appointed 52nd Chief Justice of India, Becomes Second Dalit to Hold Nation’s Top Judicial Post
Kiran Raj
Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai has been appointed as the 52nd Chief Justice of India, effective May 14, 2025. The appointment was formally notified by the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, under clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution.
Justice Gavai will take over from Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who is scheduled to retire on May 13. He will be the second individual from the Dalit community to hold the office of Chief Justice of India, following Justice KG Balakrishnan, who retired in 2010. Justice Gavai’s tenure will continue until November 23, 2025.
Born on November 24, 1960, in Amravati, Justice Gavai began his legal career after enrolling at the Bar on March 16, 1985. He initially worked with the late Raja S. Bhonsale, former Advocate General and High Court Judge, before starting independent practice at the Bombay High Court in 1987. From 1990 onward, he primarily practiced at the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court, focusing on constitutional and administrative law.
He served as Standing Counsel for the Municipal Corporation of Nagpur, Amravati Municipal Corporation, and Amravati University. He also appeared for various autonomous bodies and corporations, including SICOM and DCVL, as well as several municipal councils in the Vidarbha region.
From August 1992 to July 1993, he held the position of Assistant Government Pleader and Additional Public Prosecutor at the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court. On January 17, 2000, he was appointed as Government Pleader and Public Prosecutor for the same bench. Justice Gavai was elevated as an Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court on November 14, 2003, and became a permanent Judge on November 12, 2005. He presided over benches at the court’s principal seat in Mumbai and at its benches in Nagpur, Aurangabad, and Panaji.
On May 24, 2019, he was elevated to the Supreme Court of India. Over the past six years, he has been part of approximately 700 benches addressing a wide range of legal matters, including constitutional, administrative, civil, criminal, commercial, arbitration, electricity, education, and environmental law. He has authored approximately 300 judgments, including those by Constitution Benches, addressing a range of issues concerning the rule of law and the protection of fundamental, human, and legal rights of citizens.
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