Chief Justice of India BR Gavai on Friday reminded that in a democracy, law must act as an instrument of justice and not of arbitrary power. Speaking at the inaugural Sir Maurice Rault Memorial Lecture at the University of Mauritius on his three-day official visit, he said: “The judgment sent a clear message that the Indian legal system is governed by the rule of law, not by the rule of the bulldozer.”

The CJI drew on his own ruling in the so-called ‘bulldozer justice’ case of 2024, where the Supreme Court condemned demolitions carried out by state authorities as punitive action against accused persons. The bench had ruled that “the executive cannot assume the roles of judge, jury, and executioner simultaneously,” holding that such demolitions violated due process and fundamental rights,

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