The name of Justice Bhushan R Gavai has been proposed as the next Chief Justice of India (CJI), with the Supreme Court forwarding the recommendation to the Law Ministry.
The proposal came from the incumbent Chief Justice, Sanjiv Khanna, who is due to retire on May 13. As per convention, the sitting CJI recommends the senior-most judge in line as their successor.
Earlier, the Law Ministry had formally requested Justice Khanna to name his successor, triggering the process of appointment.
Justice Gavai, if appointed, will become the 52nd Chief Justice of India. He is likely to take the oath of the top judicial chair on May 14. However, Justice Gavai will serve as the Chief Justice of India only for six months as he is due to retire in November 2025.
Justice Gavai was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court of India on May 24, 2019. Born on November 24, 1960, in Amravati, Maharashtra, he is the son of the late RS Gavai, a noted social activist and former Governor of Bihar and Kerala.
Justice Gavai began his judicial career as an Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court on November 14, 2003, and became a Permanent Judge on November 12, 2005. He served for over 15 years, presiding over benches at Mumbai, Nagpur, Aurangabad, and Panaji.
Notably, he will be the second Scheduled Caste judge to be appointed as Chief Justice of India, following the retirement of Justice KG Balakrishnan in 2010.
Justice BR Gavai authored the majority opinion upholding the 2016 demonetisation scheme, affirming the Union government's power to declare currency invalid and stating that the scheme satisfied the 'test of proportionality'.
In a landmark judgment, he held that demolishing properties of accused individuals without due process is unconstitutional, emphasising that executive authorities cannot act as judges and execute demolitions without legal procedures.
He was also a part of the bench that examined the constitutionality of the Electoral Bond Scheme, addressing concerns about transparency in political funding.
Source: India Today