From Article 370 to demonetisation, the landmark verdicts of new CJI BR Gavai | India News

CJI BR Gavai (File photograph)

NEW DELHI: Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai was sworn-in on Wednesday as the 52nd Chief Justice of India, succeeding Justice Sanjiv Khanna, to maintain the highest judicial workplace.The oath was administered by President Droupadi Murmu at a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior ministers, and ex-CJIs.Justice Gavai is understood for his position in a number of main judgments in his profession to this point. Since turning into a Supreme Court choose in 2019, he has written round 300 judgments and been half of practically 700 benches. His work has coated necessary points like constitutional rights, free speech, environmental safety, and checks on government overreach.In December 2023, he was half of a five-judge Constitution bench that unanimously upheld the Centre’s choice to revoke Article 370, which had granted particular standing to the former state of Jammu and Kashmir.Justice Gavai was additionally half of a five-judge Constitution bench that struck down the electoral bonds scheme for political funding.He was half of a five-judge Constitution bench which, by a 4:1 majority, upheld the Centre’s 2016 choice to demonetise Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 foreign money notes.A bench led by Justice Gavai stayed the Allahabad HC’s remarks that advised grabbing a girl’s breasts and pulling the drawstrings of her “pyjama” didn’t represent an try to rape, calling the observations “insensitive” and “inhuman.”Justice Gavai was half of a seven-judge Constitution bench that, by a 6:1 majority, dominated that states have the constitutional authority to create sub-categories inside the Scheduled Castes for reservation functions, recognising the group as socially numerous and permitting focused help for the most backward amongst them.In one other seven-judge bench, He contributed to a ruling that upheld the validity of arbitration clauses in agreements that have been unstamped or inadequately stamped, holding that such defects have been curable and didn’t make the contract invalid.He was additionally half of a five-judge Constitution bench that, in January 2023, dominated that no extra restrictions could possibly be imposed on the basic proper to free speech for prime public officers, affirming that the Constitution already gives enough grounds for cheap limitations.Justice Gavai additionally delivered a landmark ruling that stopped demolitions with out discover, calling for equity and due course of extensively seen as a pushback in opposition to “bulldozer justice.” Known for his clear stand on upholding constitutional values, Justice Gavai lately acknowledged that the Constitution is supreme and likewise made it clear he wouldn’t settle for any post-retirement positions supplied by the authorities. He is just second Dalit to maintain the highest workplace in judiciary, after Justice KG Balakrishnan.In the coming months, he’ll face main tasks, together with addressing the giant backlog of over 81,000 instances in the Supreme Court and main hearings on necessary issues resembling the problem to the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. His appointment was advisable by Justice Khanna and formally confirmed by the authorities on April 29.