New Delhi [India], November 24 : Former Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai on Monday left his official Mercedes-Benz car for his successor Justice Surya Kant, who took oath as the next CJI at a ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday.
Justice Gavai, who demitted office on November 23 as the 52nd CJI ensured that the official vehicle is available for CJI Kant to travel to the Supreme Court. Officials said it is a new precedent.
Chief Justice Surya Kant assumed charge as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India after he took oath from President Droupadi Murmu as the 53rd Chief Justice of the country on Monday morning.
Justice Surya Kant used the official vehicle to reach the Supreme Court premises on his first day in office, where he paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and Dr BR Ambedkar before assuming his official duties.
Justice Gavai's tenure as CJI, though brief, will be remembered for judicial decisions and administrative stewardship as also humility and institutional respect.
Stakeholders across India's legal fraternity have welcomed Justice Gavai's gesture, noting that such steps reinforce public faith in constitutional traditions and the decorum of high office.
Justice Kant began the day's official proceedings in Courtroom number 1 in the apex court along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Atul S Chandurkar on the bench. This marked the beginning of his nearly 15-month tenure as the head of the nation's judiciary.