CJI Khanna recommends appointment of Justice Gavai as next CJI

Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna on Wednesday recommended to the Centre the name of Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai as the next CJI. The recommendation has been sent to the law ministry as part of the appointment process. Justice Gavai, the second senior-most Supreme Court judge after the incumbent CJI Khanna, is set to become the 52nd CJI on May 14 after the retirement of CJI Khanna on May 13. Justice Gavai, who was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court on May 24, 2019, would have a tenure of over six months as the CJI. He is due to retire on November 23, 2025.  Justice BR Gavai will be the second Dalit to hold the Chief Justice position,following the retirement of Justice KG Balakrishnan in 2010.
Justice Gavai has been involved in several landmark judgments, including the verdict upholding the Modi government's 2016 demonetisation decision and declaring the electoral bonds scheme unconstitutional.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. He was also a part of the bench that examined the constitutionality of the Electoral Bond Scheme, addressing concerns about transparency in political funding.