'Won't Take Any Post-Retirement Assignment,' Says CJI-Designate Justice B.R. Gavai

New Delhi: Supreme Court judge Justice B.R. Gavai who is going to become chief justice of India in two days has said that he will turn down any post-retirement assignment, the Press Trust of India has reported.

PTI noted that Justice Gavai said this at an informal chat with journalists at his residence.

“I do not have any political ambition…I will not take any post retirement assignments,” Justice Gavai was quoted as having said.

When the issue of a former CJI taking up a governor's post was raised, he said, “I cannot speak on behalf of others.”

But Gavai said that for a former CJI, the post of a governor is "below the post of the CJI in protocol."

Justice P. Sathasivam, who was CJI from 2013 to 2014 was appointed Kerala governor in 2014 and held the post till 2019. Supreme Court judge Justice S Abdul Nazeer was most recently appointed governor of Andhra Pradesh in 2023.

Former CJI Justice Ranjan Gogoi was nominated to the Rajya Sabha as an MP in 2020, after his tenure ended.

The PTI report notes that to a query on judges meeting others, including politicians, Gavai said, “As a judge you do not live in ivory towers and unless you meet people from different walks of life, you will not understand the issue afflicting them.”

Gavai also spoke of his recent visit to strife-torn Manipur.

He made observations on the tussle between parliament and judiciary as well, in the light of vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar's claims on the parliament's supremacy. He said, “The Constitution is supreme. This has been held in the 13-judge bench judgement in the Kesavananda Bharati case.”

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