Will vacate official bungalow ahead of deadline: CJI Gavai
The statement, coming just days after the Supreme Court administration formally asked the Union government to evict former CJI Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud from the official residence of a serving CJI, acquires added significance.
'Till 24th of November, I will not find time to find a suitable house. But I can assure you that whatever time is permissible as per the rules, I will be shifting before that,' CJI Gavai said at a farewell event for Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia, who demits office on August 9.
The rules entitle a judge to retain a government residence for a month post-retirement. In the case of a retired CJI, Rule 3B of the Supreme Court Judges (Amendment) Rules, 2022, permits six months' rent-free stay in a Type VII accommodation, but not the Type VIII bungalow allotted to a serving CJI.
The public assertion by the current CJI comes in the immediate backdrop of an unprecedented communication dated July 1 from the Supreme Court administration to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), demanding that Bungalow No 5, Krishna Menon Marg -- the official residence of India's Chief Justice, be vacated by former CJI Chandrachud, who retired in November 2024 but continued to occupy the premises eight months later. Significantly, both CJI Gavai and his predecessor, Justice Sanjiv Khanna, chose not to move into the Krishna Menon Marg bungalow and instead remained in their earlier residences.
In praising Justice Dhulia for promptly vacating his accommodation, Justice Gavai further said: 'After retirement, he is going to be in Delhi and he will be one of the judges who will be vacating the house immediately on the next date of his retirement. As a matter of fact, that's a rarity. I wish I would also be in a position to do so.'
'Justice Dhulia has set a good, very good example. I am sure that many of us will emulate him,' CJI Gavai added.
As reported first by Hindustan Times on July 6, the Supreme Court's administration had written to MoHUA asking it to take possession of the CJI's official bungalow from Justice Chandrachud 'without any further delay,' noting that the permission granted for retention had expired on May 31, 2025, and that the six-month statutory period under Rule 3B had ended on May 10.
In a rare move, the apex court not only invoked the violation of statutory timelines but also emphasised that despite prior extensions 'granted under special circumstances', the residence must now be returned to the judicial housing pool.
Justice Chandrachud attributed his delay in moving to ongoing renovations, halted earlier due to construction bans under GRAP-IV pollution control measures. He also cited pressing personal reasons, including the special medical needs of his two daughters suffering from nemaline myopathy, a rare neuromuscular disorder. He added that he had already been allotted rental accommodation by the government and would shift 'the very next day the house is ready'. Justice Chandrachud vacated the Krishna Menon bungalow on August 1.
Rule 4 of the Supreme Court Judges Rules, 1959, permits a judge to retain their official residence rent-free for one month after retirement. Rule 3B, introduced in 2022, allows a retired CJI to stay for six months post-retirement in a Type VII residence, but not in the Type VIII bungalow reserved for the serving CJI and other judges of the Supreme Court.
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