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United News of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- United News of India
Delivering justice to last citizen of country is our fundamental duty: CJI Gavai
Prayagraj, May 31 (UNI) Chief Justice of India (CJI) Justice Bhushan Ramakrishna Gavai on Saturday said that whether it is the judiciary or the executive, it is our fundamental duty to deliver justice to the last citizen of the country. On the occasion of the inauguration of the newly constructed chambers and multi-level parking building of Allahabad High Court, the CJI said that in the 75 years of the Constitution, the judiciary and the executive have made many such laws, which have contributed greatly to bringing social and economic equality in India. "Land has been taken from the landlords and given to the people. Farmers were made the owners of the land. There are many such laws, under which the working class and labour class of the country were empowered," he said. On this occasion, he thanked Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for providing funds for such a big facility for the lawyers. He said that this building is being inaugurated today on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Ahilyabai Holkar, who worked in India with a sense of social justice, and is a matter of pride for us. The CJI said that when Baba Saheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar presented the final draft of the Constitution of India before the Constitutional Assembly on November 25, 1949, the speech he gave was a direction-giving one for our country. "At that time, he had warned that unless we remove social and economic inequality, democracy will not be able to be established in this country in the true sense. Today we see that in our 75-year journey, our executive and judiciary have made a big contribution to bringing social and economic equality along with equality in India," he said. He said that as the CM also said that our Constitution has strongly taken the country forward towards progress in the period of 75 years. "When the Constitution was being made, it was said that it is too federal. Then Baba Saheb had replied that this is such a Constitution which will keep India united and strong in both normal and emergency situations," he said. He said, "Today we see what the situation is in our neighbouring countries and India today, after 75 years, is not only progressing, but whenever the country faces a crisis, it has remained strong and united. If the credit for this should be given to anyone, it should be given to the Indian Constitution." The CJI said, "I am happy that after becoming the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India, I have got the opportunity to speak on the holy land of Prayagraj in the first official programme itself. We have had a very close relationship with Prayagraj. Just now on the stage, Meghwal ji said that Yogi ji is the most powerful and hardworking CM of this country. I would like to say that the land of Allahabad belongs to powerful people." He said that the land of Prayagraj has a very dignified contribution in the history of UP. "The name of this land is written in golden letters in the legal field. Before independence, Motilal Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru, Tej Bahadur Sapru and many such legal scholars are named among the few best lawyers of the country," he said. He said, "Similarly, in the Hindi literature of India, many scholars of Prayagraj like Mahadevi Verma, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Sumitranandan Pant, Suryakant Tripathi Nirala, Subhadra Kumari Chauhan have made a significant contribution. The entire country also respects the sacrifice of Chandrashekhar Azad in the history of India's independence." The CJI said, "Today, by inaugurating this grand building, we are dedicating it to the citizens of the country. I would like to congratulate the Allahabad High Court, its Chief Justice, all the Justice brothers and sisters and all the members of the Bar Association of Allahabad High Court that you have got such a grand building that will make the Bar Association of the entire country jealous. I keep roaming a lot in the country, have also gone abroad a lot, but I have not seen such a big building and so many facilities for advocates anywhere in the world," he said. He said, "For this, I would like to thank the CM for giving such a huge amount of funds. Not only this, with the efforts of the CM, work is also being done on judicial buildings in all the districts. In this, all the facilities will be provided to the judges as well as the parties, litigants and lawyers." Justice Gavai said that the government and the High Court have taken care not only of the judges and the lawyers but also of the litigants. "We have been told that a big construction will be done on the adjacent plot and great facilities will be provided to the litigants who come there. There will be special facilities for all, including the disabled and women. All these things show that we work not only for the lawyers or the judges but also for the citizens of the country, who come to the judiciary in the hope of justice," he said. He said, "I especially want to mention the judges of the High Court who sacrificed their bungalows for this building. This is a unique example between the bar and the bench. Unless the bar and the bench work together, the chariot of justice cannot move forward." UNI AB GNK
Hans India
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
SC to hear pleas challenging Waqf Amendment Act today
New Delhi: The Supreme Court is set to hear a significant batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, on Tuesday. A bench led by Chief Justice Bhushan Ramakrishna Gavai will deliberate on whether the implementation of the amended law should be stayed pending a final decision on the matter. The focus of the hearing will be on granting interim relief to the petitioners, with arguments from all sides scheduled to be presented before the Court rules on the stay. The central government, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, has already assured the Court that the contentious provisions of the Act will not be enforced until further notice. After the apex court hinted at passing a stay order, the Union government had assured the top court that it would not de-notify provisions related to 'Waqf by user' or include non-Muslim members in the Waqf Board. In the previous hearing, held under the then Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, the apex court had identified three core issues for consideration: the process of de-notifying Waqf properties, whether by usage or deed, the potential inclusion of non-Muslims in Waqf institutions, and the classification of government land as Waqf property. The Court had granted a week to the Centre and state governments and the Waqf Boards to file their preliminary reply. It decided to treat five writ petitions as lead cases. It said that other pleas will be treated as intervention applications, apart from ordering the registry to rename the cause titles of the proceedings as "In Re: The Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025". Petitioners have contended that the amended Act is discriminatory and infringes upon the fundamental rights of the Muslim community. Conversely, six BJP ruled states have backed the central government, supporting the amendments as constitutionally valid and necessary. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, received presidential assent from President Droupadi Murmu on April 5 after it was passed in both Houses of Parliament following intense debate. The Centre, in its preliminary affidavit, has urged the Supreme Court to dismiss the petitions, arguing that the Act does not infringe upon constitutional guarantees.
Hindustan Times
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
India's 52nd CJI shaped by life, legal experience
When justice Bhushan Ramakrishna Gavai reflects on his life's journey – from a hut in Frezarpura in Maharashtra to the grand courtroom of the Supreme Court – he often returns to one defining insight: 'If today my son studies in a Delhi's top school, how can he be equated with a boy who studies in a school like the one I did, in a slum?' That belief -- deeply personal and firmly constitutional -- shaped his landmark opinion in August 2024, favouring sub-classification within the Scheduled Caste quota. It was an act not just of judicial interpretation but of lived understanding and of acknowledging that even within historically disadvantaged groups, privilege can accrue and reproduce, and equity must evolve to account for it. On May 14, when justice Gavai is sworn in as the 52nd Chief Justice of India (CJI), he will become only the second from the Dalit community to occupy the highest judicial office in the country. He will demit office on November 23. Yet justice Gavai's appointment is not merely a matter of identity, but is also the culmination of a career defined by public service, principled grounding, and a judicial outlook shaped by constitutional commitment and social realities. Born on November 24, 1960, in the Frezarpura locality of Amravati town -- an area dotted with workers' homes and makeshift huts – justice Gavai was the eldest of three siblings. His father, the late RS Gavai, was a towering figure in Ambedkarite politics and once dreamt of pursuing law himself. The senior Gavai, who went on to serve as the governor of Bihar, Sikkim and Kerala, ensured his children were raised with discipline. His wife Kamaltai, a former schoolteacher, focussed on making young Bhushan learn the value of hard work -- from washing utensils and cooking bhakris (flatbread) to drawing water from borewells after dark. For much of his childhood, justice Gavai studied at a municipal Marathi-medium school, sitting on floors, often in classes that lacked basic infrastructure. Those early interactions with neighbours of every caste and religion, with economic hardship, and with the quiet resilience of his mother, later found their echo in his judicial temperament: inclusive, empathetic, and quietly assertive. Another inspiration for him was Dr BR Ambedkar, whose legacy he revered not merely in word but in practice. Law, however, was not his first calling. In his early years, justice Gavai was drawn to politics, and even contemplated contesting elections, before a turning point in the 1990s made him reconsider. After earning a degree in commerce and later law from Amravati University, he began practising in 1985. Over the years, he served as additional public prosecutor and government pleader in the Nagpur bench of the Bombay high court. He accepted the government pleaders' post only on the condition that he would choose his team — two of whom, Bharati Dangre and Anil S Kilor, would go on to become high court judges themselves. In his judicial career, which spans over two decades across benches in Nagpur, Aurangabad, Panaji and Mumbai, justice Gavai presided over cases that reflected his deep concern for justice. He recalled with emotion the case of a woman who struggled for two decades to get possession of a house she legally owned. His orders finally helped her secure a roof over her head. In another case, involving a mother separated from her infant by an estranged husband, justice Gavai's intervention brought the child back. His empathy did not mean any compromise on legal rigour. As a judge of the Supreme Court, he authored or contributed to several landmark rulings. His bench led the way in safeguarding due process in UAPA and PMLA arrests, granting relief in high-profile cases such as those of Newsclick founder Prabir Purkayastha and former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia. In another case, he reinforced that demolitions without due process flout the rule of law, reiterating the state's obligation to act with fairness even when dealing with alleged law-breakers. In a defining moment last year, justice Gavai delivered a powerful separate opinion as part of the seven-judge bench that upheld the constitutionality of sub-classification within the SC quota. Drawing from personal experience and constitutional principle, he challenged the notion that all beneficiaries of reservation are equally placed -- a position that resonated deeply with those who have long argued that social justice cannot be one-size-fits-all. In 2023, he was part of the Constitution bench that upheld the abrogation of Article 370, and in 2024, the bench that struck down the opaque electoral bonds scheme. For justice Gavai, the judicial robe never distanced him from his sense of self. 'I am not a Supreme Court judge once I step out of the courtroom. I consider myself to be an ordinary citizen,' said the CJI-designate. That rootedness is partly sustained by his family. His wife, Tejaswini Gavai who stood by him through the years of intense judicial work, and his 14-year-old son,to whom he admits he has not been able to give enough time, have made their share of sacrifices. When the CJI-designate travelled to remote corners of India to meet people and understand their concerns as the executive chairperson of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), he often spoke of his love for forests, mountains, and open skies. In those vast spaces, perhaps, he found a reflection of his own journey – from a boy in a municipal school who helped his mother cook for visitors, to a jurist who carries that experience into every judgment, ensuring that justice is not abstract, but lived. As Kamaltai, now 84, gets ready to watch her son's swearing-in, justice Gavai feels that this is not just the story of a judge. 'It's the story of a boy who was told the sky's the limit, and who now sits under its full expanse, not as a symbol, but as a sentinel of justice,' justice Gavai said.
India Today
11-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Chief Justice-designate BR Gavai welcomes India-Pak's ceasefire amid tensions
Chief Justice of India-designate Justice Bhushan Ramakrishna Gavai has welcomed the ceasefire in the ongoing hostilities with Pakistan, just days before taking oath as the 51st Chief Justice of India. In an informal interaction with the media on Sunday, Justice Gavai expressed concern over global conflicts and emphasised the role of the judiciary in times of national crisis.'Yuddh ke kya disasters hain we have already seen. It's been three years since we have seen a war in Ukraine. Over 50 thousand have died. The other conflict in Gaza has seen many more casualties,' he the ceasefire, he added, 'As a citizen of the country, everybody is concerned. Whatever happens, happens to everyone. Fortunately that there has been a ceasefire. By 12 tomorrow we will know more.'Justice Gavai, who will become India's first Buddhist Chief Justice, takes oath on Wednesday, two days after Buddha Purnima. "It is a great coincidence that I am taking oath the day after Buddh Purnima,' he himself 'a totally secular person,' he spoke about his spiritual inclusivity. 'I believe in all religions. I have friends from all religions. I go to Hindu temples and Jain temples and churches and mosques," he also recalled the Supreme Court's recent gesture of observing a two-minute silence on April 23 to mourn the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack. 'When the information came in newspapers about Pahalgam in the morning, we thought that we should show solidarity. The entire nation was in grief. We called a full court meeting at 2 PM with the permission of the CJI, who was out of India. We unanimously resolved to condemn it and stand in memory of the affected. When the country is in danger, the Supreme Court cannot be aloof. "We are also part of the same country, the same system,' he Gavai credited his legal journey to the influence of Dr BR Ambedkar and his father, RS Gavai, a former Rajya Sabha member. 'I did not want to go into politics. My father said if you become a judge you can take Ambedkar's vision of socio-economic justice forward. My judgments, if you see, I have upheld the cause of social justice,' he also reflected on his experiences as a judge visiting different parts of India, including violence-hit Manipur. Speaking of a visit to a relief camp during the unrest, he recalled, 'An old lady in the camp told us. Welcome to your Home.'While refraining from commenting on pending matters or his plans as CJI, Justice Gavai reaffirmed his commitment to constitutional supremacy. 'What's supreme is already known. It's the Constitution that is supreme,' he Gavai is scheduled to be sworn in as Chief Justice of India on Wednesday, May 14. advertisementIN THIS STORY#Supreme Court
