Justice Gavai's oath ceremony was attended by some of the esteemed personalities of the nation, such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, and several other Union Cabinet ministers.
screengrab from @PresidentOfIndia via Youtube on Wednesday. Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai being greeted by former chief justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna. Pic credits/PTI
Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai was sworn in as the 52nd Chief Justice of India (CJI). Justice Gavai's oath ceremony was administered by President Droupadi Murmu at the ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The 52nd Chief Justice of India is the first Buddhist to hold this esteemed position.
His oath ceremony was attended by some of the esteemed personalities of the nation, such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, and several other Union Cabinet ministers.
#WATCH | Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu administers oath of office to Justice BR Gavai as the Chief Justice of India (CJI).
— ANI (@ANI) May 14, 2025
(Video Source: President of India/social media) pic.twitter.com/3J9xMbz3kw
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and former President of India Ram Nath Kovind were also present at the Chief Justice's oath-taking ceremony.
Who is Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai?
Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai was born on November 24, 1960, in Maharashtra's Amravati. He began his legal career as a lawyer on March 16, 1985. Notably, Justice Gavai was a prominent law practitioner at Bombay High Court's Nagpur bench. He worked with Bar. Raja S. Bhonsale, who is a former Advocate General and High Court Judge, till the year 1987. He was appointed Assistant Government Pleader and Additional Public Prosecutor at the Bombay High Court's Nagpur Bench in August 1992, and he served there till July 1993. On November 14, 2003, Justice Gavai was appointed as an additional Judge at the Bombay High Court. He subsequently secured a permanent position on November 12, 2005. He presided over a wide variety of cases at the principal seat in Mumbai, as well as benches in Nagpur, Aurangabad, and Panaji, during his tenure, as reported by ANI.
Furthermore, on April 20, 2025, then-Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna formally recommended Justice Gavai as his successor, forwarding the proposal to the Ministry of Law as part of the appointment process.
Chief Justice Gavai succeeds former CJI Sanjiv Khanna, who retired a day earlier, making way for his successor. CJI Gavai's tenure is expected to last for around six months.
Justice Gavai is the second Chief Justice of India from the Scheduled Caste (SC) community, following Justice K. G. Balakrishnan, who served between 2007 and 2010.
As reported by ANI, the Government of India has recently issued an official notification confirming Justice Gavai's appointment as CJI. Whereas the Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal also shared the appointment of Justice Gavai on his X account. While posting on X, he stated that the appointment was made under the authority granted by the Constitution of India. Justice Gavai, who was previously serving as a Supreme Court judge, will be officially taking on his new responsibilities on May 14, 2025.
Justice Gavai was elevated as an Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court on November 14, 2003, before securing a permanent position on November 12, 2005. Throughout his tenure, he presided over a diverse range of cases at Mumbai's principal seat as well as benches in Nagpur, Aurangabad, and Panaji.
(With ANI inputs)
