New Delhi, May 14 — Justice B.R. Gavai, one of the five judges who ruled on the constitutional validity of the
abrogation of Article 370, was sworn in on Wednesday as the 52nd Chief Justice of India (CJI), becoming the third member of that bench to assume the country’s top judicial office.
The Constitution Bench ruled in favor of the BJP government’s abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, ending Jammu and Kashmir’s special status (autonomy). The bench comprised Justices D.Y. Chandrachud (then CJI), Sanjiv Khanna, B.R. Gavai, Surya Kant, and S.K. Kaul.
Justice Chandrachud, who authored the majority opinion, served as the 50th CJI from November 2022 to November 2024.
He was succeeded by Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who became the 51st CJI in November 2024 and served until May 2025.
With Justice Gavai now taking over as the 52nd CJI, three of the five judges from the Article 370 bench have now held the top post.
Justice Surya Kant, the fourth in line, is set to become the 53rd CJI in November 2025.
The fifth judge, Justice S.K. Kaul, who concurred with the majority ruling on Article 370 but held a separate opinion calling for a truth and reconciliation commission, retired in December 2023.
Justice Gavai, elevated to the Supreme Court in May 2019, will serve until November 23, 2025. He is only the second Chief Justice from the Dalit community, after Justice K.G. Balakrishnan (2007–2010).
Born in Amravati, Maharashtra, on November 24, 1960, Gavai began practicing law in 1985 and held several public legal posts before being appointed to the Bombay High Court in 2003. He became a permanent judge in 2005.
During his tenure in the Supreme Court, he has been part of several major constitutional benches.
He joined verdicts quashing the electoral bonds scheme for political funding, upholding the Centre’s 2016 demonetisation decision, and approving sub-classification within Scheduled Castes for reservations.
He also led the bench that laid down nationwide norms requiring show-cause notices before property demolitions, mandating a 15-day response period.
With Justice Surya Kant, the fourth judge from the Article 370 bench, set to become the 53rd Chief Justice, the bench will have produced four successive CJIs—making it one of the most influential judicial panels in recent history.
The oath of office was administered by President Droupadi Murmu at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhawan, attended by Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers, sitting and former judges of the Supreme Court, and other dignitaries. In a moving gesture, Justice Gavai touched the feet of his mother Kamaltai Gavai, after taking the oath.