CJI

The Supreme Court on Wednesday resumed hearing on a batch of pleas relating to grant of retrospective environmental clearance (EC) by the Centre and other authorities to projects found violating environmental norms on payment of heavy penalties. On November 18 last year, a three-judge bench headed by the then Chief Justice of India (CJI) B R Gavai reversed by a majority of 2:1 its own verdict by an interim order and paved the way for retrospective environmental clearance to projects found violating environmental norms, saying that otherwise "thousands of crores of rupees would go in waste". The top court had held that numerous vital public projects constructed with nearly Rs 20,000 of the public exchequer money would be demolished if the May 16, 2025, verdict, which barred the Centre from granting retrospective environmental clearance to projects, was not recalled. It had ordered a fresh hearing on the pleas. A three-judge bench comprising CJI Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagch

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Saturday said that "law cannot remain a fortress erected to protect society from arbitrariness", and called on the young lawyers to make it a "forum" where differences are debated, rights articulated and power is reasoned with. Kant, during his address -- "From Fortress to Forum: Law in an Unfinished Republic" -- at the 18th Convocation of National Law University here, urged the professionals to see law not as a closed citadel but as a living, evolving public space. The CJI invoked the Mehrangarh Fort as a powerful metaphor for the historical journey of law. "A fortress is built to defend, to guard against disorder and uncertainty. In its earliest conception, law resembled such a structure, erected to protect society from arbitrariness and chaos," he said. "But in a constitutional democracy, he said, law cannot remain a fortress alone. It must transform into a forum where differences are debated, rights articulated and power reasoned with," he .

Chief Justice of India reiterates concern over delays in pronouncing reserved judgments, says issue will be discussed at High Court Chief Justices' conference

Law without compassion becomes tyranny and compassion without law becomes chaos, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said on Sunday. Addressing the concluding function of the 30-day special awareness campaign of the Goa State Legal Service Authority on drug abuse, the CJI said one should recognise that substance abuse is not merely a criminal problem, but a social, psychological and medical one which requires consultative action and not retributive rhetoric. The month-long campaign on drug abuse has clearly managed to capture this ethos, he added. "I would also want to speak about the crucial interplay of legal system and social change. In the last four decades, I have watched the evolution of our justice delivery system. I have seen it recognise that law without compassion becomes tyranny and compassion without law becomes chaos," the CJI asserted. "The campaign against drug abuse has spoken to students without speaking down to them. The campaign has sensitised the people without .

The Supreme Court flags a serious registry lapse after connected bail pleas from the same case were listed before different Benches, seeking accountability

Owing to the divergent views, the matter has been placed before the Chief Justice of India for reference to a larger Bench

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant expressed surprise at the opposition by members of the Gauhati High Court Bar Association to the new integrated Judicial Court Complex in Assam's North Guwahati area, the foundation for which he laid on Sunday. He maintained that "personal vested interest should not be valid grounds" for resisting the development of new infrastructure. The integrated Judicial Court Complex is envisaged to match aspirations of the future, the CJI said after laying the foundation stone for the facility at Rangmahal in North Guwahati. As the head of the country's judiciary, Justice Kant stressed that he is bound to cater to the needs of those coming into the profession. The chief justice of India said that he was surprised when he learnt that the Gauhati High Court Bar Association (GHCBA) is opposing the new integrated court complex, which will also house the Gauhati High Court. Those opposing the new court complex are either ill-informed or not realising the needs o

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said on Friday that mediation is increasingly being accepted as a successful, cost-effective and win-win settlement for both litigating parties. He was speaking after taking part in a symbolic walk for Mediation Awareness' near Kala Academy in Panaji. Later in the day, he will participate in the conference Mediation: How significant in the present-day context', organised by the India International University of Legal Education and Research at Sancoale village in South Goa. Mediation is being accepted as successful and cost-effective. It is a win-win situation for both parties as it is a settlement, he said. The CJI said that in the case of mediation, no mediator will impose anything on any party. It is only what they desire or what they want, he said. CJI Kant said the SC has launched the Mediation for Nation' initiative to send out a message to stakeholders. (The message is) not only for the consumers of justice but also for direct stakeholders l

Pushing for a "unified judicial policy", Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Saturday said technology can help align standards and practices across courts, creating a "seamless experience" for citizens, regardless of their location. He said high courts -- due to the federal structure -- have had their own practices and technological capacities, and "regional barriers" can be broken down with technology to create a more unified judicial ecosystem. Delivering the keynote address at the West Zone Regional Conference in Jaisalmer, Kant proposed the idea of a "national judicial ecosystem" and called for an overhaul of India's judicial system with the integration of technology. "Today, as technology reduces geographical barriers and enables convergence, it invites us to think of justice not as regional systems operating in parallel, but as one national ecosystem with shared standards, seamless interfaces, and coordinated goals," he said. He emphasised how the role of technology in the .

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Thursday led the Supreme Court in according a ceremonial welcome to his Sri Lankan counterpart Justice Preethi Padman Surasena, who is currently on an official visit to India. Justice Surasena, who assumed office as the 49th Chief Justice of Sri Lanka on July 27, shared the bench with the CJI and Justice Joymalya Bagchi during a special sitting. Justice Surasena was accompanied by a delegation of nine judges of the Sri Lankan top court. Welcoming the visiting dignitaries, CJI Kant said the Indian judiciary was honoured to host the Sri Lankan chief justice and his delegation. "We hope that your visit to India has been quite meaningful and very constructive in terms of the dialogue exchanges... Our countries have close emotional bonds in terms of culture and sentiments," the CJI said. Justice Surasena, responding warmly, said it was "indeed a great pleasure" for him and the accompanying judges to visit India. "India is our closest neighbour

Former Chief Justice of India B R Gavai on Saturday said he faced criticism from his own community for stating in a judgement that the creamy layer principle should be applied to reservation for the Scheduled Castes. In Dr B R Ambedkar's view, affirmative action was like providing a bicycle to someone who is lagging behind, he said, asking whether Ambedkar thought that such a person should never give up the bicycle. Ambedkar did not think so, he claimed. Gavai, who retired as CJI recently, was delivering a lecture on "Role of Affirmative Action in Promoting Equal Opportunity" at Mumbai University. Paying tributes to Ambedkar on his death anniversary, Gavai said the iconic leader was the architect of not only the Indian Constitution but also of the affirmative action enshrined in it. "Babasaheb, in so far affirmative action is concerned, was of view that it is like providing a cycle to those who are lagging behind....suppose somebody is at tenth km and somebody at zero, he (the ...

The Supreme Court has steadily shaped and reshaped the contours of freedom of speech and expression in the last 75 years, former Chief Justice of India BR Gavai said here on Friday. "The evolution of free speech jurisprudence in India reflects a larger constitutional commitment to ensure that the state's power to restrict expression does not overshadow the citizen's right to think, to speak and to participate freely in the democratic set-up," he asserted. He was delivering the Justice KT Desai Memorial Lecture 2025 on 'Freedom of Speech and Expression: Its Scope and Limitations Under the Constitution'. Citing several landmark judgments of the Supreme Court since Independence, the former CJI traced out the evolution of law over the years and role played by the judiciary in protecting citizen's rights. "Over the last 75 years, the Supreme Court has steadily shaped and reshaped the contours of the freedom of speech and expression under Article 19 1(A), while simultaneously defining ..

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Saturday said judges need recreational activities to recharge themselves as they have long working hours and the nature of their work is very stressful. Speaking to the media at the opening ceremony of the All India Judges Badminton Championship, the CJI said judges should participate in recreational activities that suit their age. "The working hours of judges are long and the nature of (their) work is very stressful. Sitting hours are long. All judges should participate in a recreational activity and make it a habit. Recreation is needed to recharge them. "High Court judges are participating in this event in large numbers. It shows that they are conscious about their health and well-being," CJI Kant said. Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Union minister Kiren Rijiju, and apex court judges were present at the ceremony. The two-day championship is being held at the Thyagraj Sports Complex here. The closing ceremony and prize distribution wi

The Bar occupies an indispensable place in fortifying the rule of law and upholding the sanctity of the Constitution, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said on Wednesday while also stressing its importance in providing legal aid to the vulnerable and the marginalised. Addressing a gathering at a Constitution Day function organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association, the CJI said the judiciary has repeatedly acknowledged the invaluable role of the Bar in safeguarding its virtues. "When we celebrate the pivotal moment when the people of India gifted unto themselves their most fundamental covenant, I stand before you and must emphasise that the Bar occupies an indispensable place in fortifying the rule of law and upholding the sanctity of our Constitution... "I do not hesitate in saying that if the courts are regarded as the sentinel of the Constitution, then the members of the Bar are the torchbearers who illuminate our path. They help us discharge our solemn duty with clarity and .

On the first day as the Chief Justice of India, Justice Surya Kant, Monday set a new procedural norm that mentioning cases for urgent listing must be made in writing, and oral requests will be entertained under "extraordinary circumstances" like in cases of death penalty and personal liberty. A bench led by Justice Kant heard as many as 17 cases in proceedings spanning around two hours on his first day as the CJI. Justice Kant formally assumed charge as the 53rd CJI shortly after taking oath in Hindi in the name of God at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Arriving at the Supreme Court for the first time as CJI in the forenoon, he paid floral tributes at the statues of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr B R Ambedkar on the court premises. He then presided over a three-judge bench, also comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Atul S Chandurkar, in the heritage courtroom number one. As proceedings commenced around noon, the CJI pronounced a judgment on a plea filed by Himachal Pradesh against a private ...

Justice Surya Kant was recommended for the position by outgoing chief justice of India Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai, whose term ended on November 23

Outgoing Chief Justice of India B R Gavai on Thursday said that he practises Buddhism but he is a truly secular person who believes in all the religions. Speaking at a farewell function organised by the Supreme Court Advocates on Record Association (SCAORA), Gavai expressed his gratitude, saying that the country's judiciary has given him a lot. Gavai is scheduled to retire on November 23, and Friday would be his last working day in Supreme Court. "I practice Buddhism but I do not have much depth in any religious studies. I am truly secular and I believe in Hinduism, Sikhism, Islam, Christianity, everything," Gavai said. "I have learnt this from my father. He was a secular and erudite follower of Dr Ambedkar. While growing up, when we used to accompany him to political functions and his friends say, 'Come here, the dargah here is famous, or the gurdwara here is famous', we used to go," the CJI recollected. Gavai said he could reach the current position only because of Dr Ambedkar a

Voicing concern over the dismal conviction rate, former Chief Justice of India U U Lalit on Sunday said the administration of criminal justice is the most neglected sphere in the government apparatus and favoured separating the investigative wing of police from the rest of the force involved in normal law and order duties. The former CJI, batting for reforms to prevent the abuse of criminal laws and ensure that no innocent is prosecuted, said he would not like his daughters to live in an environment where there was even the slightest chance of laws being misused. Addressing a conference organised by the Ekam Nyaay Foundation, Lalit said that as a lawyer, judge and professor of law for the last 42 years, he had observed that in the country's criminal jurisprudence and the way it was administered, "the administration of criminal justice is perhaps the most neglected sphere in the apparatus of government". He said that police officers or investigators did not have the kind of ...

Chief Justice of India (Designate) Justice Surya Kant on Saturday emphasised that the judiciary's role goes beyond settling disputes and must also focus on protecting the innocent. He asserted that the high courts must begin to envision their institutional growth much like a modern hospital's emergency services, ensuring swift, decisive and effective responses. Addressing the silver jubilee celebrations of the Jharkhand High Court, which coincided with the state's foundation day, Justice Kant recalled his first case, an urgent plea for visitation rights in a cross-border custody dispute involving two minor children.. "...Justice is not only about resolving disputes, but about protecting the innocent from being lost in the storms of circumstance," the Supreme Court Judge said. He noted that the parents were separated by national boundaries and years of litigation, but the most striking aspect was the quiet anguish of the children, caught between competing jurisdictions and uncertain

All the three wings of democracy - executive, judiciary and legislature - exist for the welfare of citizens and none can work in isolation, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Bhushan Gavai said on Wednesday. Speaking at the project initiation function of the Maharashtra National Law University's (MNLU) campus in Mumbai, he said the principles of liberty, justice and equality are embodied in the Constitution. The judiciary has neither the power of the sword nor the power of words. Unless the executive is on board, it is difficult for the judiciary to provide adequate infrastructure to judiciary as well as legal education, the CJI said. He noted law education is now developing with more practical-oriented training and hence infrastructure plays a very important role. The CJI refuted criticism that the Maharashtra government was found lacking when it comes to providing judiciary infrastructure and insisted the notion was based on incorrect views. He lauded the state government and Chief .