Justice BR Gavai takes oath as 52nd Chief Justice of India

Justice BR Gavai taking oath as 52nd Chief Justice of India, at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. (Courtesy: PTI Photo)

Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai took oath as the 52nd Chief Justice of India (CJI). President Droupadi Murmu administered oath of office to him at a ceremony in the Rashtrapati Bhavan, which was attended by Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi, Defence Minsiter Rajnath Singh and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar among others.

He was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court on May 24, 2019 and will have a tenure of 6 months.

Shri Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan. pic.twitter.com/yo9qpCjNRK

President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) May 14, 2025

Justice Gavai succeeds Justice Sanjiv Khanna in the country's top judicial post and will have a tenure of 6 months. Justice Khanna, demitted office on Tuesday on attaining the age of 65 years, was also present at Justice Gavai's swearing-in ceremony.

Justice BR Gavai, a native of Amravati district in Maharashtra, took the oath of affirmation in Hindi. He has become the first Buddhist and the second person from the Dalit community to take oath as CJI. He is the son of former Governor of Bihar, Kerala and Sikkim late RS Gavai, who was also a leader of the Republican Party of India.

After taking oath, the new CJI was seen touching his mother’s feet as he walked past her, sitting in the front row of the dignitaries.

Born on November 24, 1960 at Amravati, Justice Gavai was enrolled as an advocate on March 16, 1985. He was elevated as an additional judge of the Bombay High Court on November 14, 2003.  He became a permanent judge of the High Court on November 12, 2005.

Justice Gavai was part of a five-judge Constitution bench which unanimously upheld the Centre’s decision to abrogate provisions of Article 370 bestowing special status to Jammu and Kashmir.