JUSTICE GAVAI RISES TO THE SUMMIT

🧑‍⚖️ NEWS MAKER — PETAL 031
April 30, 2025

⚖️ Thematic Focus

Indian Polity | Judiciary | Representation | GS Paper II

📰 Intro Whisper

In a landmark moment for India’s judiciary, Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai has been appointed as the 52nd Chief Justice of India. He is only the second person from the Scheduled Caste community to hold the nation’s highest judicial office after Justice K.G. Balakrishnan — a symbol of both continuity and quiet transformation.

🔑 Key Highlights

• Appointed by: President Droupadi Murmu under Article 124(2) of the Constitution
• Oath Date: May 14, 2025, following the retirement of current CJI Sanjiv Khanna
• Tenure: Just over six months, retiring on November 23, 2025
• Judicial Lineage:
  • Elevated to Supreme Court: May 24, 2019
  • Bombay High Court Judge: Since 2003 (Permanent in 2005)
  • Legal Career: Joined Bar in 1985; known for work in constitutional & administrative law
• Representation Milestone:
  • 2nd SC CJI in Indian history — a key moment for judicial diversity and inclusion

⚖️ Landmark Judgments

Justice Gavai has been a part of Constitution Benches that shaped India’s legal and democratic frameworks:

• Abrogation of Article 370: Upheld the reorganisation of Jammu & Kashmir (Dec 2023)
• Electoral Bonds Scheme: Ruled unconstitutional, stressing transparency in political funding
• Demonetisation: Part of the majority that validated the Centre’s 2016 move (₹500 & ₹1000 notes)
• Sub-categorisation in SCs: Approved states’ power to sub-classify Scheduled Castes for targeted reservations
• Demolition Guidelines: Ruled that no property be demolished without showcause notice (15-day minimum)
• Environmental Justice: Currently presiding over key cases on forests, wildlife, and urban greenery

📜 Early Life & Career

• Born: November 24, 1960, Amravati, Maharashtra
• Education & Mentorship: Trained under Raja S. Bhonsale, former AG & HC judge
• Public Roles:
  • Standing counsel for Nagpur & Amravati Corporations
  • Government pleader & public prosecutor (Nagpur Bench)

🧩 GS Mains Mapping

• GS Paper II: Judiciary — Appointment, Structure, Representation
• GS Paper I: Social Empowerment — Scheduled Castes, Institutional Diversity
• Ethics Paper: Justice, Integrity, Institutional Morality

🕊️ A Thought Spark — by IAS Monk

“To rise through the ink of constitutional values and to sit in the shadow of the Constitution itself is the true arc of justice. Justice Gavai’s ascent honours not just law, but history.”