Justice BR Gavai to be the next Chief Justice of India

BR Gavai

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna on Wednesday officially recommended Justice BR Gavai as his successor, forwarding his name to the Union Law Ministry for approval.

The recommendation sets the stage for Justice Gavai to become the next Chief Justice of India.  The 64-year-old Justice Khanna served a six-month tenure as the Chief Justice of India. Justice Gavai is expected to take oath on May 14. Justice Gavai will have a six-month tenure as the judge of the apex court.

He was enrolled as an advocate on March 16, 1985. Initially, he worked under the late Bar. Raja S Bhonsale, former Advocate General and High Court Judge, until 1987.  Thereafter, practiced independently at the Bombay High Court from 1987 to 1990.

Post 1990, he primarily practiced at the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court, focusing on Constitutional and Administrative Law. He also served as Standing Counsel for the Nagpur Municipal Corporation, Amravati Municipal Corporation, and Amravati University.

He was appointed as an Additional Judge of the High Court on November 14, 2003, before being confirmed as a permanent Judge of the Bombay High Court on November 12, 2005.

During this tenure, presided over various types of cases at the Principal Seat in Mumbai and at the Benches in Nagpur, Aurangabad, and Panaji. He  was  subsequently elevated to the position of Judge of the Supreme Court of India on May 24, 2019, with retirement scheduled for November 23, 2025.