Outgoing Chief Justice of India Justice B R Gavai on Friday said he was leaving the institution “with a full sense of satisfaction and contentment” and as a “student of justice” on conclusion of his journey as a lawyer and a judge that spanned nearly four decades.
During the farewell proceedings before the ceremonial bench that also comprised CJI-designate Surya Kant and Justice K Vinod Chandran, the CJI said, “After listening to all of you, and particularly the poems of Attorney General (R Venkataramani) and Kapil Sibal and the warm sentiments expressed by all of you, my voice is choking with emotions.” “When I leave this courtroom for the last time …, I leave this court all with full sense of satisfaction, the full sense of contentment that I have done whatever which I could have done for this country…Thank you. Thank you very much,” a visibly emotional Gavai said in the courtroom packed with law officers, senior advocates, and young lawyers.
The proceedings saw colleagues reminiscing the imprint Justice Gavai, the second Dalit after K G Balakrishnan and first Buddhist CJI, left on the judiciary.“I always believe that everybody, every judge, every lawyer, is governed by the principles on which our Constitution works that is equality, justice, liberty, and fraternity and I tried to discharge my duties within the four corners of the Constitution that is so dear to all of us,” he said.Justice Gavai, who was sworn in on May 14 for over six-month tenure as the CJI, would demit office on November 23, 2025 and Friday was his last working day.
Reflecting on his journey, the CJI said, “When I joined the (legal) profession in 1985, I entered the school of law. Today, as I demit the office, I do so as a student of justice.” He described his over 40-year journey, from a lawyer, to high court judge, to Supreme Court judge, and finally Chief Justice of India, as “deeply satisfying”.Quoting the judicial principle that “a judge must not alter the material but may iron out the creases”, Gavai said it was a guiding philosophy throughout his tenure.
On his simple way of writing judgements, he said, “I always believe that judgments should be written for the end consumers. I do not have a flair for academics or literature…”. Showering praise on CJI Gavai, Justice Kant said, “He was more than a colleague …he was my brother and a confidant, and a man of immense integrity”.
Attorney General Venkataramani invoked the Marathi meaning of “Bhushan”, ornament or adornment, and said Justice Gavai had adorned the judiciary and the world of law.Solicitor General Tushar Mehta recalled meeting him as a puisne judge, and said “You never changed as a human being.” The law officer praised the “fresh breeze of Indianness” in recent judgments, noting that the Constitution Bench decision on governors was grounded entirely in indigenous jurisprudence.Senior advocate Kapil Sibal applauded the outgoing CJI’s journey as a jurist and said his appointment to the apex court was a symbol of “enormous social churning” that has taken place in this country.
Justice Gavai was elevated as an additional judge of the Bombay High Court on November 14, 2003. He became a permanent judge of the high court on November 12, 2005. He became a SC judge on May 24,
Follow us
