Judicial reformer and defender of rights: Justice BR Gavai

Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai assumed office as the 52nd Chief Justice of India on Wednesday, 14 May 2025. He succeeded Chief Justice Sanjeev Khanna, who demitted office upon superannuation on 13 May this year. Sworn in by President Droupadi Murmu, Justice Gavai is the first practising Buddhist and the second Dalit after KG Balakrishnan to head the Indian Judiciary. Justice Gavai will serve a tenure of six months as CJI before retiring on 23 November 2025. ANWESHA SANTRA

- Anwesha Santra

A JOURNEY FROM AMRAVATI TO THE APEX COURT Born on 24 November 1960, in Maharashtra's Amravati district, Justice Gavai rose from modest beginnings. He is the son of Ramakrishna Suryabhan Gavai, a career politician who founded the Republican Party of India (Gavai). RS Gavai was also known as 'Dadasaheb', and was a former Governor of Bihar and a prominent Dalit leader.

Justice Gavai commenced his legal practice on 16 March 1985. He served as the standing counsel for the Municipal Corporation of Nagpur, Amravati Municipal Corporation, and Amravati University. He held the post of assistant government pleader and additional public prosecutor at the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court between August 1992 and July 1993. Subsequently, he was appointed government pleader and public prosecutor for the Nagpur Bench on 17 January 2000. Elevated as an additional judge of the Bombay High Court on 14 November 2003, he became a permanent judge on 12 November 2005. Justice Gavai was appointed to the Supreme Court of India on 24 May 2019.