Institute of Legal and Management Studies

The Bar Council of India (BCI) today felicitated the new Chief Justice of India Bushan Ramkrishna Gavai, at a grand ceremony attended by Supreme Court and High Court judges, senior advocates, bar leaders, and legal luminaries from across the country. The event, held at The Lalit, New Delhi, celebrated Justice Gavai's remarkable journey from a young lawyer to the helm of India's judiciary, while also reaffirming the legal fraternity's commitment to constitutional ideals.

In a heartfelt speech, CJI Gavai expressed deep gratitude to the legal fraternity, calling the event a "family function." Recalling his 40-year association with the bar—first as a lawyer, then as a judge, and now as CJI, he said, "From March 16, 1985, till November 14, 2003, I was your member. After November 24, 2025, I will be your member again. Today's felicitation feels like a celebration with my own family."

He shared anecdotes from his early days in Nagpur, where senior advocates encouraged him to shift from Mumbai for better prospects. "Within a few years, I had a thriving practice proof that regional bars nurture great talent," he remarked.

Constitutional Vision: Social Justice and Diversity

CJI Gavai emphasized that his judicial philosophy was deeply influenced by Dr. Ambedkar's constitutional ideals and his father's activism. "I had doubts as to whether I should accept the judgeship or not, because my father, who said that, if you continue as a lawyer, you may earn lots and lots of money, but if you become a judge of a constitutional court, you can carry forward the legacy of Dr. Ambedkar's idea, of social and economic justice, in discharging your duty, and today I am happy that I decided to abide by my father's verdict," he said.

He also stressed the need for greater diversity in judicial appointments, urging High Courts to recommend more women, SC, ST, and OBC candidates. "on a personal note I have spoken to many of the Chief Justices that if they do not have a woman candidate in their High Courts they should take from a very good pool of women advocates who are practicing in the Supreme Court, and to some extent, we have been successful in that," he proposed, drawing applause.

Tackling Pendency and Strengthening the Judiciary

Addressing one of the biggest challenges facing the judiciary case backlog CJI Gavai called for a collaborative effort between the judiciary and the executive to fill vacancies swiftly. "I would request the Laureate Solicitor to convey our request to the executive that, by a cooperative rule cooperative approach, we must ensure to minimize the vacancies as much as, as strictly as we can so that to some extent the issue of pendency would be resolved” he said.

About Media Interviews

CJI Gavai, speaking lightheartedly, shared that he is shy about giving media interviews. He believes that judges should remain engaged with society to better understand its issues and opposes the idea of judicial isolation. According to him, judges must consider the real-world context, not just the black-and-white letter of the law. He avoids interviews to steer clear of making public promises that could later invite criticism if unfulfilled.

"I am somewhat shy not otherwise because I like to mix in people I like to meet people sometimes I am also told by some that as a Supreme Court judge who is in a line to become a CJI, it's not good to mix so much in people but I don't believe in that theory of isolation unless you know who is in the society, you will not be aware about the problems, of the society, and today's judge he can't decide the matters only in black and white totally ignorin, the ground reality in the society. I don't give any interviews, because I cannot make any promises I don't believe in making promises initially and then at the end the friends from the press themselves, criticizing that in his interview he has made so much promises so much promises but he doesn't so they will pardon me for that.."

A Promise to the Nation

Declining to make grand promises, CJI Gavai instead vowed to serve with humility and dedication. "the only thing I can say is that whatever short period that I have I will do my best to stand by my oath to uphold the rule of law, to uphold, the constitution of India, and make an attempt to reach to the commonest mind of this country, large citizens of this country so that the vision of the premise of the constitution of social and economic equality along with political equality, is brought into reality.”, CJI Gavai said.