On April 16, 2025, Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna warmly recommended Justice B R Gavai, the second-most senior judge in the Supreme Court, to take over as his successor, sharing the proposal with the Union Law Ministry. If the government gives its nod, Justice Gavai will step into the prestigious role of the 52nd Chief Justice of India, beginning his tenure after CJI Khanna retires on May 13, 2025. Justice Gavai, who joined the Supreme Court on May 24, 2019, will lead the judiciary until his own retirement on November 23, 2025. CJI Khanna, who took the helm on November 11, 2024, after Justice D Y Chandrachud stepped down, will bid farewell to his remarkable tenure when he turns 65, the mandatory retirement age for Supreme Court judges.
Justice B. R. Gavai was born on November 24, 1960, in Amravati, Maharashtra. He enrolled as an advocate in 1985 while practicing under Raja S. Bhonsale, former Advocate General and judge of the Bombay High Court. After 1990, he mostly practiced constitutional and administrative law at the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court. He has been part of major judgments since then in the Supreme Court, which include upholding the abrogation of Article 370, invalidating the Electoral Bonds Scheme, and endorsing the creamy layer principle in reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes for the purpose of equality. In November 2024, he led a bench that condemned bulldozer demolitions of properties, without any process, thereby upholding the rule of law.
The recommendation comes in accordance with the Memorandum of Procedure, whereby a month before retirement, the Law Minister seeks the outgoing CJI’s nomination for the successor. The appointment of Justice Gavai would be a momentous occasion, being the second Chief Justice from the Scheduled Caste background, bringing with him a wealth of experience and expertise.
