Justice Bhushan Ramakrishna Gavai was sworn in as the 52nd Chief Justice of India (CJI) on Wednesday, making history as the first Buddhist to lead the nation’s judiciary. The oath was administered by President Droupadi Murmu during a ceremony attended by key dignitaries including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Justice Gavai succeeds Justice Sanjiv Khanna and will serve a tenure of just over six months, retiring on November 23, 2025.
Justice Gavai is only the second person from the Scheduled Caste community to become CJI, following Justice K.G. Balakrishnan. Highlighting the impact of affirmative action, he has often credited Dr B.R. Ambedkar’s legacy for his rise from modest beginnings—having studied in a semi-slum municipal school—to the top of the judiciary. In a speech in April 2024, he acknowledged this transformative journey and received a standing ovation after concluding with the slogan “Jai Bhim.” Since his elevation to the Supreme Court in 2019, Justice Gavai has been part of several key constitutional benches.
He notably contributed to the Supreme Court’s unanimous verdict upholding the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, and also to the bench that struck down the electoral bonds scheme for political funding. Born on November 24, 1960, in Amravati, he began his legal career in 1985 and practiced extensively in constitutional and administrative law at the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court. He became an additional judge of the Bombay High Court in 2003 and a permanent judge in 2005, before rising to the Supreme Court.
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