Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai has said that his judgment on “bulldozer action” gave him “immense satisfaction” as it addressed human problems at the core of justice.
A Supreme Court bench of Justices Gavai and K.V. Viswanathan had, on November 13, 2024, equated “bulldozer justice” with a lawless state of affairs where “might is right” and issued pan-India guidelines against arbitrary demolitions.
Speaking at a felicitation event organised by an academic group of Supreme Court advocates on Thursday, CJI Gavai said, “One of the judgments which gave immense satisfaction to both of us was the bulldozer judgment. What was at the heart of the judgment was the human problems and the problems faced by human beings. The family being harassed only because they were part of the family of one of the members was either a criminal or an alleged criminal.”
He added that though the ruling is widely credited to him, equal credit must go to Justice Viswanathan, with whom he shared the bench for nearly six months.
CJI Gavai stressed that the length of a Chief Justice’s tenure has no direct bearing on judicial efficiency. Referring to former CJIs, he said, “We have had the best of the chief justices like Justice Lalit for two and a half months and Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who proved their imprint and are known for their contribution to the distribution and administration of justice.”
The CJI also highlighted his efforts to strengthen the judiciary’s infrastructure and streamline appointments to the High Courts. “I have tried every moment for the betterment of the administration of justice and for bringing in improvement in the judicial infrastructure throughout the country and ensuring that the appointments to the high courts are taken to the logical end with expedition,” he said.
He further underlined the importance of giving opportunities to younger lawyers from the Supreme Court to enter the higher judiciary. “We are all sure that the rich experience that they gather in the Supreme Court really helps in enhancing the efficiency at the high court level,” Gavai said.
