Judge need not always rule against government to prove his independence: CJI BR Gavai

Published on : 23 Nov 2025, 11:56 am 5 min read

Outgoing Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai said on Sunday judicial independence is non-negotiable but rejected the notion that a judge has to prove his independence by ruling against the government.

CJI Gavai said decision of a judge in a case must be based strictly on the papers before the court, and it is incorrect to state that the judiciary always has to rule against the government.

During an interaction with journalists at his residence, CJI Gavai also spoke about Justice BV Nagarathna's dissent within the Collegium with regard to the elevation of Justice Vipul Pancholi to the apex court, and that it was not accepted by other Collegium judges.

He said that Collegium system continues to maintain institutional autonomy, w