Chief Justice

Without addressing inequalities, no nation can be democratic: CJI Gavai

Without addressing the structural inequalities that marginalise large sections of society, no nation can claim to be truly progressive or democratic, Chief Justice of India BR Gavai said on Wednesday while emphasising that socio-economic justice is a practical necessity for achieving long-term stability, social cohesion, and sustainable development. Speaking at a function in Milan on the topic of "Role of Constitution in Delivering Socio-Economic Justice in a Country: Reflections from 75 Years of Indian Constitution", the CJI said that justice is not an abstract ideal and it must take root in social structures, in the distribution of opportunity, and in the conditions under which people live. "Without addressing the structural inequalities that marginalise large sections of society, no nation can claim to be truly progressive or democratic. Socio-economic justice, in other words, a practical necessity for achieving long-term stability, social cohesion, and sustainable development," h

Constitution an evolving document, adapting itself to changes: CJI BR Gavai

Chief Justice of India Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai referred to the Indian Constitution as a living, organic, and evolving document that adapts to the changes demanded by various circumstances. Speaking at the Edinburgh Law School on the topic 'Constitution As An Evolving Document', the CJI said that in the last 75 years, the Constitution has witnessed several amendments in order to meet the challenges of the changing times. "As and when certain issues arose on account of the interpretation of the Constitution given by the Supreme Court, the Parliament has rose to the occasion, and has provided answers by way of amending the Constitution, so as to meet the changes of the new generations, the changes as demanded by the change in the circumstances," the CJI said in a speech on Friday. Gavai had earlier described the Constitution as a "quiet revolution etched in ink" and a transformative force that not only guarantees rights but actively uplifts the historically oppressed. Speaking at the

Top industrialists unite to fund ₹50 crore health cover for SC lawyers

Leading Indian business figures donate ₹50 crore for a free health insurance scheme benefiting Supreme Court Bar Association lawyers, covering families, pre-existing conditions, and more

Constitution of India supreme, its pillars must work together: CJI Gavai

At a felicitation in Mumbai, CJI B R Gavai reiterated that the Constitution, not the judiciary, executive or Parliament, is supreme and urged mutual respect among institutions

CJI Gavai well-equipped to serve judiciary, uphold values: Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge extended best wishes to B R Gavai after he was sworn in as the Chief Justice of India on Wednesday, and said he is well-equipped to serve the judiciary with excellence as well as uphold constitutional values. Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai, who has been part of several benches that delivered landmark rulings including the one upholding the Centre's decision to abrogate provisions of Article 370 bestowing special status to Jammu and Kashmir, was sworn in as the 52nd Chief Justice of India. The 64-year-old was administered oath by President Droupadi Murmu at a brief ceremony at the Ganatantra Mandap in Rashtrapati Bhavan. He succeeds Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who demitted office on Tuesday on attaining the age of 65 years. "Extending best wishes to Justice B.R. Gavai for taking oath as the 52nd Chief Justice of India. The Chief Justice of India's position carries immense responsibility, public scrutiny and expectations," Kharge said on X. "Justice

Justice BR Gavai takes oath, becomes second Dalit Chief Justice of India

Justice Gavai, who was elevated to the Supreme Court on May 24, 2019, succeeds Justice Sanjiv Khanna

CJI Sanjiv Khanna retires, BR Gavai to take oath as 52nd Chief Justice

Justice BR Gavai succeeds Sanjiv Khanna as the 52nd Chief Justice of India; oath on May 14. Khanna bids farewell, lauds Gavai's commitment to fundamental rights of the Constitution

SC makes assets of 21 judges public after April resolution decision

The incoming Chief Justice of India Justice B R Gavai has more than Rs 19.63 lakh as deposits in the bank

President Murmu appoints SC judge B R Gavai as 52nd Chief Justice of India

Justice Gavai will be the second-ever Dalit to hold the elusive post

Justice BR Gavai to take oath as 52nd Chief Justice of India on May 14

Justice Gavai is currently the senior-most judge in the Supreme Court after CJI Khanna. He will serve as the 52nd Chief Justice of India until his retirement on November 23, 2025

Progress is not only judgment but ease of justice: MP HC chief justice

Progress is not measured by laws and judgments alone, but by the ease with which people can seek and receive justice, Chief Justice SK Kait of the Madhya Pradesh High Court said. The chief justice made the statement while virtually inaugurating new family court buildings in Jhabua and Balaghat districts at a function. He also inaugurated housing facilities for judicial officers in Budhar (Shahdol), Rajendragram (Anuppur), Shajapur district, Kolaras (Shivpuri) and a child-friendly courtroom in Manawar (Dhar district). CJ Kait said progress is measured not just by laws and judgments but by the ease with which citizens can seek and receive justice. He said the new family court buildings in Jhabua and Balaghat will provide a well-structured space for handling family disputes. The buildings have courtrooms, filing sections, counselling rooms, a creche and other essential facilities, he said. The chief justice said the child-friendly courtroom at Manawar in Dhar district is designed to

SC bench of Chief Justice Khanna to hear plea seeking verification of EVMs

A Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna will hear a plea filed by former Haryana minister and five-time MLA Karan Singh Dalal seeking a policy for the verification of Electronic Voting Machines. When the matter came up for hearing on Friday before Justices Dipankar Datta and Manmohan, the bench said the case shall be placed before the Chief Justice along with similar petitions. "This can go before the Chief Justice's bench," the bench said. Dalal has approached the Supreme Court seeking a policy for the verification of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). He has sought compliance of an earlier judgement of the top court delivered in the case of 'Association for Democratic Reforms v. Union of India'. Dalal and co-petitioner Lakhan Kumar Singla secured the second-highest votes in their respective constituencies and have sought a direction to the Election Commission (EC) to implement a protocol for examining the original "burnt memory" or microcontroller of the four

CJI Khanna recuses himself from hearing pleas on IOA, AIFF constitutions

Chief Justice of India Sanjv Khanna on Monday recused himself from hearing two separate pleas pertaining to finalisation of the constitutions of the Indian Olympic Association and the All India Football Federation, both framed by former apex court judge Justice L Nageswara Rao. At the outset of the proceedings, the Chief Justice of India (CJI), who was sitting on the bench with Justice Sanjay Kumar, said he would not be part of the bench to hear these cases as he had earlier taken up one of the pleas in Delhi High Court. "Let the pleas come before another bench headed by Justice PS Narasimha on February 10. I remember hearing this in Delhi High Court," CJI Khanna said. The pleas were last taken up on March 19, 2024, by a bench headed by the-then CJI DY Chandrachud. The bench had then permitted the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to file its objections to the draft constitution proposed by Justice Rao. "The amicus curiae will update the existing chart to reflect the objections

CJI praises retiring SC judge Justice Ravikumar as humane, noble soul

Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna on Friday lauded Supreme Court judge Justice CT Ravikumar on his last working day, describing him as a "humane and noble soul" whose journey from a humble rural background to the apex court was nothing short of extraordinary. Justice Ravikumar was elevated to the top court on August 31, 2021, after an illustrious tenure at Kerala High Court. He is the ninth senior-most judge in the apex court. As he prepares to superannuate on Sunday, the ceremonial bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Khanna, Justice Ravikumar and Justice Sanjay Kumar bid an emotional farewell, celebrating his contributions and legacy. "Coming from a rural background and achieving the distinction of serving as a judge of the Supreme Court is a remarkable accomplishment. Justice Ravikumar has not only achieved this but also outperformed in his duties," remarked CJI Khanna, highlighting the challenges of rising through the ranks without the privileges of urban ...

Fill up non-official member posts in mental health body: HC to Delhi govt

The Delhi High Court has directed the city government to take expeditious steps for filling up posts of non-official members of the Delhi Mental Health Authority. A bench of Acting Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru further said once the authority is constituted, it would take expeditious steps for the constitution of review boards according to the Mental Health Care Act. The bench, also comprising Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, clarified that the process of constituting the authority and the boards shall not be impeded by imposition of the Model Code of Conduct in view of the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections. The court passed the order on December 12 while dealing with two petitions seeking the enforcement of provisions of the mental health law, including the constitution of the state mental health authority as well as the district mental health review boards. In its order, the court noted that on November 27, the Delhi government appointed seven ex-officio members for constituting the Delhi

Delhi HC refuses to intervene in order for revision in CLAT-2025 result

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday refused to intervene in an order directing the Consortium of National Law Universities to revise the result of CLAT-2025 over errors in the answer key. A bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela while dealing with an appeal by the consortium against the decision of a high court single judge opined no case for an interim order was made out. The bench prima facie found no error in the view taken by the single judge with respect to two questions and clarified the consortium was free to declare the results in terms of the single judge's decision. "Single judge examined two questions carefully... Prima facie we concur with the said view," the court said, "you can proceed with the result. There is no interim order." The court posted the matter on January 7, 2025. On December 20, the single judge's verdict came on the plea of a CLAT aspirant and ruled the answers to two questions in the entrance test were wrong. The

Centre clears Delhi HC Chief Justice's appointment as Supreme Court judge

The Centre on Tuesday notified the elevation of Delhi High Court's Chief Justice Manmohan as a judge of the Supreme Court. In a related post, Minister of State, Ministry of Law and Justice (independent charge) Arjun Ram Meghwal on X wrote, "In exercise of the powers conferred by the Constitution of India, the President, after consultation with Chief Justice of India, is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Manmohan, Chief Justice, High Court of Delhi as a Judge of the Supreme Court of India." Once he takes oath as judge of the top court, the working strength of the top court will rise to 33, one short of the sanctioned strength of 34, which includes the chief justice of India. The Supreme Court collegium on November 28 recommended the elevation of Justice Manmohan to the top court. The two vacancies in the apex court arose after retirements of Justice Hima Kohli and former CJI D Y Chandrachud. "Justice Manmohan stands at serial number 2 in the combined all-India seniority of high cour

Untoward incidents in apex, lower courts concerning: B'desh chief justice

Bangladesh's Chief Justice Dr Syed Refaat Ahmed on Thursday said untoward incidents in the country's apex and lower courts deeply concerned him after a lawyers' group tried to assault a Supreme Court judge in an open courtroom and another lawyer was killed in the past two days. In a rare such statement, Ahmed said he was deeply concerned about the recent incidents in the Supreme Court and events within judicial premises nationwide. He said: All developments are being closely monitored to ensure the judicial processes remain undisturbed despite the challenges. The chief justice said his office implemented comprehensive measures within the Supreme Court as well as in district judgeships and magistracies to prevent a recurrence of such incidents and asked all courts and tribunals to continue their functions normally. "Many problems have arisen at the courts in recent times. The Supreme Court is vigilant so that people can get services from the courts without any impediment, read the .

Delhi HC refuses to entertain plea seeking 'Sanatan Dharm Raksha Board'

Plea moved by Sanatan Hindu Sewa Sangh Trust through Advocate Ashok Kumar stated that, as per the Constitution of India, our country is a secular nation, which is explicitly mentioned in Constitution

SC advocate urges CJI to initiate probe into Jhansi medical college fire

Supreme Court advocate Amit Dwivedi has written to the chief justice of India, seeking a time-bound inquiry into a blaze in the neonatal intensive care unit of a medical college in Uttar Pradesh that killed 17 infants. In the letter to Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna on Sunday, Dwivedi -- who hails from the Bundelkhand region -- sought the constitution of a panel headed by a retired Supreme Court judge "to conduct a time-bound inquiry into the fire incident in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) of the government-run hospital which resulted in the deaths of 15 infants". Thirty-nine newborns were rescued from a devastating fire in the neonatal intensive care unit of Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College in Jhansi on the night of November 15. While 10 babies died on the night of the fire, seven more succumbed later. The letter highlighted reports of severe negligence, including the alleged absence of functioning fire extinguishers in the ward. Dwivedi emphasised that ...