In a quiet but widely admired gesture, retiring Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai chose not to use the official black Mercedes-Benz allocated to the CJI when he left Rashtrapati Bhavan after his successor, Justice Surya Kant, was sworn in on November 24, 2025. Instead, Justice Gavai returned home in a personal vehicle, ensuring the ceremonial car was immediately available for the 53rd Chief Justice from the very first moment of his tenure.

Sources described the move as deliberate and symbolic: “Justice Gavai left the official vehicle at Rashtrapati Bhavan so that his successor could proceed directly to the Supreme Court in the CJI’s car—a smooth, seamless transition.” The understated act quickly earned praise within legal circles as a “Mercedes-class gesture” of grace and institutional respect.

Justice Gavai, who superannuated after a 15-month tenure, also reiterated to reporters at his official residence that he would accept no post-retirement government assignment. “I made it clear when I took office that I will not take any post-retirement official role. After the cooling-off period, a new innings begins,” he said, signalling his intent to step away from public office entirely.

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During his farewell interactions, the outgoing CJI defended the collegium system for judicial appointments, strongly endorsed the introduction of a creamy-layer exclusion within Scheduled Caste reservations—a stance he held despite being a Dalit judge himself—and expressed regret for not elevating any woman judge to the Supreme Court during his term. “If benefits repeatedly go to the same families, a class within a class emerges. Reservation must reach those who truly need it,” he emphasized.

Meanwhile, Justice Surya Kant began his 15-month tenure by taking the bench in Courtroom 1 within hours of the oath ceremony, which was attended by President Droupadi Murmu, Vice-President CP Radhakrishnan, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Known for landmark rulings on Article 370, Pegasus, free speech, and electoral reforms, the new CJI has already outlined reducing the Supreme Court’s 90,000-case backlog and strengthening mediation as top priorities.

Justice Gavai’s final act of leaving the official car behind has been hailed across the Bar as a poignant reminder of judicial dignity, earning him warm tributes as he exits the apex court after a distinguished career that began in the district courts of Maharashtra and culminated at the helm of India’s judiciary.

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