Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai has publicly stated that he will speak in detail about the appointment and elevation of judges through the Supreme Court Collegium after his retirement on November 23, 2025 (some reports mention November 24, but the official date is November 23) .
During a recent address at the Advocates’ Association of Bombay High Court Bench in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, he highlighted his commitment to merit-based selection and shared a few key points:
He recalled the case of the Madras High Court’s Chief Justice S. V. Gangapurwala, who was bypassed partly because Bombay High Court had already sent four judges to the SC. He suggested delaying the elevation of another Bombay judge until a vacancy opened up—a decision he deferred from discussing until after stepping down .
He emphasized that the Collegium has focused purely on merit—integrity, legal knowledge, ability—without regard to caste or creed .
He credited Justice Dipankar Datta for suggesting that the best Chief Justices from High Courts should ideally be elevated to the Supreme Court and said he supported this approach .
In essence, CJI Gavai is deferring deeper commentary on the Collegium’s internal workings and appointments until after his term ends. At that point, he’s expected to provide more transparency and insight into how selections were made.
