Major Judgements Passed By Outgoing Chief Justice of India BR Gavai

New Delhi: After holding the position of 52nd Chief Justice of India for a little over six months, Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna (BR) Gavai demits office on November 23. Several top lawyers and advocates heaped praise on the outgoing CJI as his tenure was marked by high judgement output and steady authorship rates across multiple subject areas.

Justice Bhushan Ramakrishna Gavai's elevation as Chief Justice of India was historic, marking only the second time a Dalit occupied the nation's highest judicial office. KG Balakrishnan was the first Dalit to head the Indian judiciary. BR Gavai was also the first Buddhist to serve as CJI. BR Gavai's career reveals a nuanced understanding and commitment towards upholding the Rule of Law and an efficient judiciary, as per a news agency.

As BR Gavai, who was a staunch believer in the Constitution, bids farewell to the Supreme Court, here's a look at some major judgements delivered by him during his six-month tenure.

'Bulldozer' Actions Remind Of Lawlessness

Sending a strong message against the trend of "bulldozer justice", the bench headed by BR Gavai ruled that the executive cannot demolish the houses/properties of persons only on the ground that they are accused or convicted of a crime.

NewsClick founder case

Following the furore over NewsClick editor Prabir Purkayastha's arrest, his bench declared the arrest under the UAPA was illegal and thereby ordered his immediate release. The judgement in a way affirmed that even in UAPA cases, written grounds of arrest must be furnished.

Leaders' arrest

Amid widespread arrest of political leaders all across the country, Justice Gavai's bench, while granting relief to Manish Sisodia and K Kavitha in the Delhi liquor policy case, stated, “bail is the rule”.

Rahul Gandhi defamation case

The conviction of Congress leader and Member of Parliament (MP) Rahul Gandhi in the PM Modi defamation case was also stayed by Justice Gavai's bench. The Supreme Court stayed the conviction in the criminal defamation case over "why all thieves have Modi surname" remark.

ED Director SK Mishra's Term

The Supreme Court bench headed by BR Gavai held as illegal the extension given to the term of Enforcement Directorate chief SK Mishra for violating the mandate of the Supreme Court's 2021 judgment in the Common Cause case that he should not be given further extension.

Bhushan Steel reinstated

On 26 September, a three-judge Bench led by CJI Gavai reversed a two-judge Bench’s decision on the liquidation of Bhushan Power and Steel. JSW had acquired BPS for ₹19,700 crore in 2021 and on 2 May, the two-judge Bench set aside their resolution plan, leading to a sharp drop in share prices and widespread uncertainty around the insolvency regime in India.

Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025: Interim stay on key provisions 

A Division Bench of CJI Gavai and Justice A.G. Masih passed an interim judgement to stay key provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.  The Bench observed that such relief can only be granted in “rare and exceptional” cases, and found that no case had been made to justify a stay on the entire statute.

Other cases

Furthermore, Justice Gavai was part of the Constitution Bench judgments in Electoral Bonds and Article 370 cases. Justice Gavai headed the Constitution Bench, which approved demonetisation, which, seven years down the line, became an academic matter. CJI Gavai, overwhelmed by the rich tributes on his last working day, said he was leaving the institution "with a full sense of satisfaction and contentment" and as a "student of justice" on concluding four decades of journey as a lawyer and a judge.

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