Justice Gavai takes oath as 52nd CJI, becomes first Buddhist to take post

Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai, the first Buddhist Chief Justice of India, was sworn in at Rashtrapati Bhavan and will serve a tenure of over six months till November 2025

Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai was sworn in by President Droupadi Murmu as the 52nd Chief Justice of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Wednesday. He is the first Buddhist to hold the post. CJI Gavai, who has a tenure of over six months till November 23, 2025, took the oath of office, pledging to uphold the Constitution and faithfully discharge his duties, in Hindi.

 

After Justice Gavai, Justice Surya Kant is likely to serve as Chief Justice of India from November 24, 2025, to February 9, 2027, marking a term of over a year. Currently, there are 32 judges on the Supreme Court bench out of a sanctioned strength of 34, including the Chief Justice.

 

Among the 32 judges, there are two women—Justice Bela M Trivedi and Justice BV Nagarathna. Justice Trivedi is scheduled to retire on May 16. As per the seniority convention, Justice BV Nagarathna is set to become the first woman Chief Justice of India in 2027, with a tenure of 36 days.

 

During the swearing-in ceremony, Chief Justice Gavai shook hands with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, other dignitaries and family members seated in the front row, including his immediate predecessor, outgoing Chief Justice of India Justice Sanjiv Khanna.

 

Born on November 24, 1960, to Ramkrishna Suryabhan Gavai—who was active in Maharashtra politics and worked closely with B R Ambedkar—Justice Gavai began practising law at the age of 25. He started his career with the late Raja S Bhonsale, former advocate general and judge of the Bombay High Court. He later started independent practice at the Bombay High Court until 1990, following which he primarily practised before the Nagpur Bench of the court.

 

Well-versed in constitutional and administrative law, CJI Gavai served as standing counsel for the Municipal Corporation of Nagpur, Amravati Municipal Corporation, and Amravati University. He also regularly appeared for autonomous bodies, corporations, and municipal councils in the Vidarbha region.

 

In addition, he served as assistant government pleader and additional public prosecutor at the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court from August 1992 to July 1993, before becoming government pleader and public prosecutor. He was appointed judge at the Bombay High Court on November 14, 2003, and served there for 16 years before being elevated to the Supreme Court on May 24, 2019.