President Droupadi Murmu has appointed Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai as the next Chief Justice of India, effective May 14, 2025. He will succeed Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who is set to retire on May 13.
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal announced the appointment on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “In exercise of the powers conferred by the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai, Judge of the Supreme Court of India, as the Chief Justice of India with effect from 14th May, 2025.”
When Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai assumes office as the 52nd Chief Justice of India on May 14, he will become only the second CJI from the Scheduled Caste (SC) community, after Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, who held the position from 2007 to 2010. Justice Gavai is scheduled to retire on November 23, 2025. Throughout his tenure, he has delivered nearly 300 judgments, including several Constitution Bench rulings, focusing on the rule of law, equality, and the protection of fundamental, human, and legal rights. On April 16, current CJI Justice Sanjiv Khanna formally recommended Justice Gavai as his successor in a letter to the Centre.
Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai will serve as the 52nd Chief Justice of India for nearly six months, with his retirement scheduled on November 23, 2025, upon reaching the age of 65. He was elevated to the Supreme Court on May 24, 2019. Born on November 24, 1960, in Amravati, Justice Gavai began his legal career in 1985. He practiced independently at the Bombay High Court between 1987 and 1990, with a specialization in Constitutional and Administrative Law. During this time, he also served as Standing Counsel for the Municipal Corporation of Nagpur and the Amravati Municipal Corporation.
University. Justice Gavai was elevated as an Additional Judge of the High Court on November 14, 2003. He became a permanent Judge of the Bombay High Court on November 12, 2005. Justice Gavai worked as Assistant Government Pleader and Additional Public Prosecutor in the High Court of Judicature at Bombay, Nagpur Bench, from August 1992 to July 1993. He was appointed as Government Pleader and Public Prosecutor for the Nagpur Bench on January 17, 2000.
In the last six years, he has been a part of around 700 benches dealing with matters pertaining to a variety of subjects, including constitutional and administrative law, civil law, criminal law, commercial disputes, arbitration law, electricity law, education matters, environmental law, etc. Justice Gavai has attended various international conferences in Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia), New York (U.S.A.), Cardiff (U.K.), and Nairobi (Kenya). He has also delivered lectures on many issues, including constitutional and environmental issues, at various universities and organizations, including Columbia University and Harvard University.