Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai is set to take the oath as the next Chief Justice of India on May 14, following the retirement of the incumbent Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, reported NDTV.

Following the tradition, the Chief Justice has submitted a proposal to the Union Law Ministry, recommending Justice Gavai as his successor. Earlier, the ministry had requested the proposal from the Chief Justice to name his successor.

Justice Gavai is set to serve as Chief Justice of India for approximately six months, as he is due to retire in November. He will be the second Dalit to assume the position, following Justice KG Balakrishnan, who became the Chief Justice in 2007.

Born in Amravati, Maharashtra, Justice Gavai began his legal career in 1985, initially working with barrister Raja Bhonsale, a former Advocate General and Judge of the Maharashtra High Court. He then practised independently at the Bombay High Court from 1987 to 1990.

Following this, he primarily practiced before the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court, focusing on Constitutional and administrative law matters. In August 1992, he was appointed Assistant Government Pleader and Additional Public Prosecutor at the Nagpur Bench.

By 2000, he had risen to the position of Government Pleader and Public Prosecutor for the Nagpur Bench. Justice Gavai was appointed an Additional Judge of the High Court in 2003 and became a permanent judge in 2005. He was elevated to the Supreme Court in 2019.

During his tenure as a Supreme Court judge, Justice Gavai has been involved in several landmark rulings. Notable among these are the verdict that upheld the Centre’s 2016 demonetisation decision and the judgment declaring the electoral bonds scheme unconstitutional.