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SC regains full strength as CJI Gavai administers oath to two new judges

Chief Justice of India B R Gavai on Friday administered oath to Bombay High Court Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Patna High Court Chief Justice Vipul Manubhai Pancholi. The two were elevated to the Supreme Court on August 27. With their elevation, the apex court is set to regain its full working strength of 34 judges, including the CJI. Justice Pancholi will be in line to become the CJI in October 2031 after Justice Joymalya Bagchi's retirement on October 2, 2031. He is scheduled to assume the CJI's office on October 3, 2031, and retire on May 27, 2033. On August 25, the apex court collegium recommended to the Centre the names of Justices Aradhe and Pancholi for elevation as top court judges. Collegium member and Supreme Court's Justice B V Nagarathna, however, registered a strong dissent to the apex court collegium's recommendation to elevate Justice Pancholi to the top court, saying his appointment would be "counter-productive" to the judiciary. Justice Nagarathna, the only wom

SC judgment on house demolitions reaffirmed citizens' rights: CJI Gavai

Chief Justice of India B R Gavai has said he was glad that the Supreme Court's ruling against the demolition of houses of accused persons without following due procedure of law upheld the rights of citizens. He was part of the SC bench that last year slammed instant bulldozer justice' and laid down pan-India guidelines on demolition of properties, saying the executive could become a judge and declare an accused as guilty and demolish his house. Speaking at a felicitation function organised by the Goa High Court Bar Association in Panaji on Saturday, the CJI also explained the reasoning behind his landmark judgment on the creamy layer in the reserved category. Pointing out to the speeches by earlier speakers during the felicitation, which referred to his historic judgments, CJI Gavai said, I am really happy that we could do something as a custodian of the Constitution for protecting the rights of citizens whose houses were demolished without following the procedures of law. He said

SC starts hearing on Presidential Reference on timeline for assent to bills

The Supreme Court on Tuesday commenced hearing on the Presidential Reference, which raised constitutional questions on whether the court can impose timelines for Governors and the President to deal with bills passed by state assemblies. A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice BR Gavai allowed state governments of Kerala and Tamil Nadu to question the maintainability of the Presidential Reference. "We will hear preliminary objections for half an hour. Thereafter, we will start hearing submissions from the Attorney General," CJI Gavai said at the outset. The bench -- also comprising Justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, P S Narasimha and A S Chandurkar -- said that after hearing preliminary objections, the court will hear arguments on the Presidential Reference itself, starting with the submission of Attorney General R Venkataramani. Senior advocate KK Venugopal, appearing for Kerala government, opposed the Presidential Reference and said the issue is covered by a series

CJI not a mere post office, must uphold judicial transparency: SC

Defending the Chief Justice of India's authority to act on any judicial misconduct, the Supreme Court on Thursday said he couldn't be "merely a post office" but had the moral responsibility to ensure the judiciary functioned in a transparent, efficient and constitutionally appropriate manner. "We have no hesitation to say that the CJI is not a mere post office between the committee and the President/the Prime Minister that the report is to be forwarded without any remarks/recommendation. The CJI is clearly an important person, if not the most, in the larger scheme of maintaining institutional interest and credibility to ascertain whether a Judge has indulged in misconduct," the top court said. The observations came while deciding the plea of Allahabad High Court judge Yashwant Varma, against whom an SC-appointed expert panel filed a damning report over the discovery of burnt wads of cash from his official residence during his judgeship in Delhi. "As per the procedure, after receivin

CJI Gavai bars senior lawyers from listing cases for urgent hearing

Chief Justice of India (CJI) B R Gavai on Wednesday said that from August 11, no senior advocate will be permitted to mention cases for urgent listing and hearing in his court so that juniors get an opportunity to do it. CJI Gavai, who was sworn in on May 14, had reverted to the practice of oral mentioning of cases for urgent listing and hearing by lawyers and discontinued the practice adopted by his predecessor Justice Sanjiv Khanna. Justice Khanna discontinued the practice of oral submissions for urgent listing and hearing of cases by lawyers and asked them to either send emails or written letters instead. "There is a great demand that no matters should be mentioned by senior counsel(s)," CJI Gavai said. He asked the court staff to put out a notice that no senior lawyer will be permitted to mention cases for urgent listing and hearing in his court from Monday. "From Monday, no senior counsel, I mean designated senior counsel, will be allowed to mention matters. Let juniors get a

SC questions Justice Varma's conduct in cash row, reserves order on plea

The Supreme Court told Justice Yashwant Varma on Wednesday that his conduct did not inspire confidence and asked why he chose to move the apex court after an in-house committee found him guilty of misconduct in the cash discovery row. The top court was hearing Justice Varma's plea seeking invalidation of a report by an in-house inquiry panel which found him guilty of misconduct in the cash discovery matter. The in-house inquiry panel report indicted Justice Varma over the discovery of a huge cache of burnt cash from his official residence during his tenure as a Delhi High Court judge. The plea does not reveal Justice Varma's identity and is titled, "XXX v. The Union of India". Posing sharp questions to the judge, the top court asked Justice Varma why he appeared before the in-house inquiry committee and did not challenge it then and there. It told Justice Varma that he should have come earlier to the apex court against the in-house inquiry panel's report. A bench of Justices Dipan

Justice Yashwant Varma moves SC against in-house panel probe in cash row

Justice Yashwant Varma moves SC against in-house panel report that indicted him after unaccounted cash was found at his Delhi home following a fire; calls probe unconstitutional

Ambedkar wanted judiciary to be free from executive interference: CJI Gavai

Dr B R Ambedkar spoke about the supremacy of the Constitution and believed that judiciary should be free from interference from the executive, Chief Justice of India Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai said here on Tuesday. He was speaking after being felicitated by the Maharashtra legislature upon his elevation to the top judicial post. Ambedkar had said that we all believe in the supremacy of the Constitution which will keep the country united during peace and war, Gavai said in his address to the legislature. The Constitution gives rights to the three wings -- Executive, Legislature and Judiciary -- and according to Ambedkar, judiciary has to work as a watchdog and custodian of citizens' rights, the chief justice said. Ambedkar also said that judiciary should be free from executive interference, he added. The CJI also quoted Ambedkar as stating that the Constitution cannot be static, it has to be organic and keep evolving. Earlier, both houses of the Maharashtra legislature congratulate

Ex-CJIs endorse constitutionality of simultaneous poll but flag issues

Former chief justices of India, who have conveyed their views to a parliamentary committee on the bill proposing simultaneous polls, have endorsed the constitutionality of the one nation, one election concept but have raised concerns over its various aspects, including the power given to the Election Commission, and offered suggestions. Former CJI D Y Chandrachud, in his opinion submitted to the Joint Committee of Parliament, has dismissed the opposition's criticism that the synchronisation of Lok Sabha and state assembly polls violates the Constitution's basic structure, saying the Constitution never mandated holding national and state elections separately. However, he has joined another ex-CJI Ranjan Gogoi in questioning the sweeping powers granted to the Election Commission in the proposed constitutional amendment law without laying down any guidelines for the exercise of the discretion, according to the opinion submitted to the parliamentary panel. Chandrachud and another former

CJI Gavai vows full transparency in collegium, no compromise on merit

Chief Justice of India (CJI) B R Gavai on Friday assured to infuse "complete transparency" in the collegium system of appointment of judges, wherein merit will never be compromised and all sections of society will get representation. The CJI, who was sworn in as the 52nd Chief Justice of India last month, was speaking at the Bombay High Court in an event organised by the Bombay Bar Association to honour his elevation to the highest judicial position in the country. CJI Gavai said since his predecessor Justice Sanjeev Khanna was the CJI, the collegium has tried to infuse more transparency in matters of appointments. He added that SC Justice Dipankar Datta previously at an event in Nagpur last week spoke about interference in the working of the collegium. "I assure everyone, we will adopt a procedure of complete transparency. Merit will never be compromised. We will have representatives from all sections of society. Names of all recommended will be followed up," the CJI said. He ...

Conflict of interest in CEC may affect FCAA cases: Retired officers to CJI

A group of 60 former civil servants has written to the Chief Justice of India, claiming that a "conflict of interest" in the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) could compromise the outcome of cases challenging the Forest Conservation Amendment Act, 2023. In their open letter dated June 30, the signatories, including former secretaries, ambassadors, police chiefs and forest officers, said the four-member CEC currently includes three former Indian Forest Service officers and a retired scientist who also worked with the environment ministry for many years. There are no independent experts on the panel. The letter said two CEC members recently retired as Director General of Forests and Special Secretary in the environment ministry. "A CEC comprising officers who had held the highest positions in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and were closely involved in policy-making, can hardly be expected to give independent advice to the Supreme Court,

Constitution defines roles of legislature, executive, judiciary: CJI Gavai

Addressing the issue of "judicial activism," the CJI asserted that it is necessary for "upholding" the constitution and rights of the citizens

CJI Gavai backs supremacy of Constitution over three wings of democracy

Chief Justice B R Gavai said the legislature, executive, and judiciary all work under the Constitution-not above it-as debate brews over Parliament's powers and the judiciary's role in lawmaking

Constitution is supreme, all three wings of democracy work under it: CJI

The CJI asserted that he always let his judgments and work speak, and always stood by the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution

Judicial activism must not become 'judicial terrorism', says CJI Gavai

Chief Justice of India BR Gavai emphasised that judicial review should be used sparingly, reserved only for the most exceptional cases

India aims to be global arbitration hub with strong legal framework: CJI

Chief Justice of India B R Gavai on Thursday said India has continuously aspired to become a hub of international arbitration by building a progressive legislative framework, a pro-enforcement judiciary and robust institutional support. In his keynote address on "Arbitrating Indo-UK Commercial Disputes" as part of the London International Disputes Week, the CJI said India and the United Kingdom shared a rich history, bound by a common legal heritage rooted in the principles of common law. He referred to the July 2018 memorandum of understanding signed between India and the United Kingdom for cooperation in the area of law and justice and said it has enhanced the engagement between the two countries and paved the way for greater collaboration and exchange of expertise across areas including the rule of law, dispute resolution, training and legal services resolution. "Speaking as the Chief Justice of India, I state that India has continuously aspired to become a hub of international .

Supreme Court regains full working strength as three judges take oath

Chief Justice of India B R Gavai on Friday administered the oath of office to Justices N V Anjaria, Vijay Bishnoi and A S Chandurkar as judges of the Supreme Court. The CJI administered the oath to the judges at a ceremony in apex court premises. With the swearing in of the judges, the top court will regain its full working strength of 34 judges, including the CJI. The Supreme Court collegium on Monday recommended the appointment of Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Anjaria, Gauhati High Court Chief Justice Bishnoi, and Bombay High Court judge Justice Chandurkar as judges of the top court. Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal announced their appointment on X. Their names were recommended against the three existing vacancies of judges in the top court following the superannuation of ex-CJI Sanjiv Khanna, and Justices Abhay S Oka and Hrishikesh Roy. Justice Anjaria had taken oath as the chief justice of Karnataka High Court on February 25, 2024. Earlier, he was elevated as additional j

'No legal sanctity': VP Dhankhar questions probe into Justice Varma case

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar criticises the in-house committee's investigation into Justice Yashwant Varma corruption case, calling it legally weak and lacking transparency on evidence

'It's about respect': CJI Gavai flags absence of officials in Maharashtra

CJI BR Gavai expressed disappointment over the absence of Maharashtra's top officials during his first visit to the state after taking charge as the 52nd Chief Justice of India

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