Justices UU Lalit, Sanjiv Khanna and I have tried to dispel notion that Supreme Court is 'CJI's court': CJI BR Gavai

Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai on June 28 addressed a growing perception that the Supreme Court functions solely at the discretion of the Chief Justice. .He said that efforts have been made by him as well as his predecessors Justices UU Lalit and Sanjiv Khanna to foster inclusive and collective decision-making at the apex court.“There is a growing belief that Supreme Court is a CJ's court and not a court of all judges. But I must say that Justices UU Lalit, Sanjiv Khanna, and I have attempted to dispel that notion. Immediately after Justice Lalit took over as CJI, he had full court meeting on the very next day. I also held a full court meeting immediately on the next day of assuming the office. We took all the decisions by taking into consideration views of everyone,” he said.Speaking at a felicitation organised by the High Court Bar Association of Nagpur, his home bar, CJI Gavai also addressed the limits of judicial intervention.“I always felt the judicial activism was necessary because whenever the executive or the legislature failed, the judiciary had to step in so as to act as custodian of the rights of the citizens. But I always also feel that all the three wings should work within the spheres allotted to them. And though judicial activism is here to stay, it should never turn into judicial adventurism or judicial terrorism. I still believe in the same principle,” he opined..In his address, CJI Gavai also recounted his early years in the profession.“I followed my father's decision to become a lawyer. It's my mother's hard work. Though we had a humble background... It's this value of inclusiveness that has shaped my future life,” he said.Reflecting on his work on the PIL bench, he talked about his role in making the Nagpur-Jabalpur Highway safer.“I was happy to see to it that the Nagpur Jabalpur Highway, which was languishing for years together and had witnessed more than 100 deaths due to the accidents was completed. We for the first adopted the model of sustainable development and while ensuring that the highway is constructed also ensured that the ecology and interest of the wildlife is maintained by providing for long subways so that the animals travelling from one part of the jungle to another part of the jungle find that they are travelling in the same jungle.”.There is a growing belief that Supreme Court is a CJ's court and not a court of all judges. But Justices UU Lalit, Sanjiv Khanna and I have attempted to dispel that notion.CJI BR Gavai.He also said that among the decisions he most cherishes as CJI is the one on judicial pensions.“I applied the principle of one rank, one pension. Some of the judges were living in penury. I was aghast when I came to know that a retired judge of some High Court was getting a pension of ₹7k to 8k," he stated. On judicial appointments, he said that collegium is indeed trying to maintain transparency.“I think we are following transparency. We try to maintain seniority and merit in the matters of selection and Justice Chandurkar is a living example of that.”The event was also attended by former Chief Justice of India UU Lalit, sitting Justices Dipankar Datta, Prasanna B Varale and Atul S Chandurkar of the Supreme Court, Bombay High Court Chief Justice Alok Aradhe, Bombay High Court Justices Anil S Kilor and Nitin W Sambre, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and Maharashtra Advocate General Dr. Birendra Saraf.