Justice B.R. Gavai Set to Make History as India’s Next Chief Justice

(Syed Ali Taher Abedi)

Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai has been designated as the upcoming Chief Justice of India. Currently serving as a judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Gavai will assume the role of Chief Justice effective May 14, 2025.

Born in Amravati, Maharashtra, Justice B. R. Gavai boasts an illustrious legal career that spans nearly four decades. After his admission to the bar in 1985, he initially practiced alongside the late Barrister Raja Bhonsle, a former Advocate General and judge of the High Court, until 1987. Subsequently, Justice Gavai practiced independently at the Bombay High Court until 1990, with a primary focus on Constitutional and Administrative law.

Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai, B.Com., LL. B., was born on November 24, 1960. He was enrolled as an Advocate on March 16, 1985, and practiced at the Bombay High Court in diverse areas including Constitutional, Administrative, Civil, Criminal, Service Laws, Taxation Law, Municipal & Panchayat Laws, Co-operative Laws, and Educational Laws. He specialized in Constitutional and Administrative Laws. He was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court on November 14, 2003, and later became a Permanent Judge on November 12, 2005.
In 1992, he was appointed as an Assistant Government Pleader and Additional Public Prosecutor for the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court, and in 2000, he progressed to become the Government Pleader and Public Prosecutor for the same bench. His judicial career commenced with his appointment as an Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court in 2003, subsequently becoming a Permanent Judge in 2005. Justice Gavai presided over numerous cases at the principal seat in Mumbai, as well as at the Nagpur, Aurangabad, and Panaji benches.

He was later elevated to the Supreme Court on May 19, 2019, with his retirement planned for November 23, 2025. Justice Gavai has authored approximately 300 judgments, including constitutional bench judgments on various matters, thereby upholding the rule of law and protecting the fundamental rights, human rights, and legal rights of citizens. He has participated in several international conferences, including those held in Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia), New York (U. S. A.), Cardiff (U. K.), and Nairobi (Kenya). He is scheduled to retire on November 23, 2025.