Why in News? 

• In 2025, the Supreme Court of India will witness significant transitions, with three Chief Justices presiding during the year and seven judges retiring. Justice Sanjiv Khanna will demit office as Chief Justice on 13^th May, succeeded by Justice BR Gavai until 23^rd November, followed by Justice Surya Kant. Retirements include notable names like Justice CT Ravikumar, Justice Hrishikesh Roy, and Justice BR Gavai, marking a pivotal year for judicial appointments and leadership. 

Justice CT Ravikumar 

• Born on 6^th January 1960, in Peermadu, Kerala, he comes from a legal background as his father worked as a Bench Clerk at Changanassery Magistrate Court. 
• After enrolling as an Advocate with the Bar Council of Kerala in 1986, he practiced independently in Civil, Criminal, Service, and Labour matters at Mavelikkara courts. 
• He served as Government Pleader (1996-2001) and Senior Government Pleader (2006) before being appointed as Additional Judge of the Kerala High Court in 2009, and later as a Permanent Judge in 2010. 
• He holds the distinction of being the fifth Judge to be elevated to the Supreme Court directly from the Kerala High Court, with a tenure set to end in 2025. 
• He has served in several key positions including Executive Chairman of Kerala State Legal Services Authority, President of Kerala Judicial Academy, and President of Kerala State Mediation and Conciliation Centre. 
• His notable judgments include important rulings on cases involving POCSO Act compliance, electoral freebies' impact on state finances, and the interpretation of Section 149 of the Indian Penal Code in the Gurmail Singh case. 
• In recent judgments (2024), he has made significant rulings on juvenile justice timeframes and child custody matters, emphasizing child welfare over personal law considerations. 

Justice Hrishikesh Roy 

• Born on 1^st February, 1960, he completed his LL.B. from Campus Law Centre, University of Delhi in 1982 and was designated as Senior Advocate by the Gauhati High Court in 2004. 
• His judicial career progressed from Additional Judge of Gauhati High Court (12^th October, 2006) to permanent Judge (15^th July, 2008), then Chief Justice of Kerala High Court (8^th August, 2018), and finally to Supreme Court Judge (23^rd September, 2019). 
• As head of the Mediation Monitoring Committee in Assam, he oversaw the production of "Shako" (Bridge), a film used for mediation training, and while leading Arunachal Pradesh Legal Services, he produced "Apne Ajnabi," a short film addressing racial prejudice and legal aid. 
• He implemented the innovative "Reach Out & Respond" programme as Executive Head of Assam State Legal Services Authority to improve access to justice for marginalized communities. 
• He played a significant role in judicial education, leading training programs for Judicial Officers under the Gauhati High Court and serving as a member of the National Judicial Academic Council headed by the Chief Justice of India. 
• For about a decade, he served as editor of "ATMAN," the newsletter of the Gauhati High Court, demonstrating his commitment to legal communication and documentation. 

CJI Sanjiv Khanna 

• Born on 14^th May, 1960, he comes from a distinguished legal lineage - his father was Justice Dev Raj Khanna (former Delhi High Court judge), and he is the nephew of Justice Hans Raj Khanna, known for his dissenting opinion in the landmark ADM Jabalpur case. 
• After enrolling with the Bar Council of Delhi in 1983, he practiced in Delhi's District Courts and High Court, specializing in arbitration, environmental law, and direct tax appeals. 
• He became a Permanent Judge of Delhi High Court on 20^th February, 2006, and was uniquely elevated directly to the Supreme Court on 18^th January, 2019, without ever serving as a Chief Justice of any High Court. 
• He is slated to become the 51^st Chief Justice of India as per the seniority rule, with a tenure that will last approximately 6 months until his retirement on 13^th May, 2024. 
• He was part of the recent landmark 5-judge bench judgment (2024) that unanimously struck down the anonymous electoral bonds scheme as violating Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. 
• He authored the majority opinion in the significant Right to Information case (2019) that brought the office of Chief Justice of India under RTI, emphasizing that judicial independence and accountability go hand in hand. 
• He was instrumental in a landmark 7-judge bench ruling (2023) that clarified the law on unstamped arbitration agreements, overruling previous decisions and establishing that non-stamping is a curable defect. 
• He contributed to the significant constitutional bench judgment in Shilpa Shailesh v. Varun Sreenivasan (2023) that established "irretrievable breakdown" as a valid ground for divorce under Article 142. 
• In Anna Mathews v. Supreme Court of India (2023), he helped establish the important distinction between eligibility and suitability in judicial appointments, ruling that while eligibility is subject to judicial review, suitability remains outside its purview. 

Justice Abhay Sreeniwas Oka  

• Born on 25^th May, 1960, he currently serves as a Supreme Court judge and has previously held positions as Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court and judge in Bombay High Court. 
• After completing his B.Sc. and LL.M. from the University of Bombay, he began his legal career by enrolling as an Advocate on June 28, 1983, initially practicing under his father's guidance in the Thane District Court. 
• His judicial career progressed from Additional Judge of Bombay High Court (29^th August, 2003) to permanent Judge (12^th November, 2005), then Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court (May 10, 2019), and finally to Supreme Court Judge (31^th August, 2021). 
• In the Vinod Kumar v. Amrit Pal case (2021), he authored a significant judgment clarifying that intention to cause death is not necessary to attract "thirdly" clause of Section 300 IPC in murder cases. 
• In Vasudha Sethi v. Kiran Bhaskar (2021), he established an important precedent regarding child custody cases, ruling that a writ court cannot compel a parent to leave India with their child as it would violate their right to privacy. 
• He delivered a landmark judgment in Maniben Maganbhai Bhariya case (2022), recognizing Anganwadi workers and helpers as employees entitled to gratuity under the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972. 
• In Neeraj Dutta v. State NCT of Delhi (2022), as part of the Constitution Bench, he contributed to the ruling that direct evidence isn't mandatory for proving corruption cases, and circumstantial evidence can establish culpability. 
• His expertise spans civil, constitutional, and service matters, with significant involvement in public interest litigations throughout his career. 
• In Raj Kumar v. State NCT of Delhi (2023), he demonstrated his commitment to fair trial procedures by acquitting the appellant based on discrepancies in witness testimonies and improper trial procedures, overturning the lower court's decision 

Justice Bela Trivedi 

• Born on 10^th June, 1960, in Patan, North Gujarat, she completed her BCom-LLB from MS University, Vadodara, after having her schooling at various places due to her father's transferable judicial service. 
• After practicing as a lawyer in civil and constitutional matters at the Gujarat High Court for about ten years, she was appointed as Judge at the City Civil and Sessions Court, Ahmedabad in 1995. 
• Her appointment created a unique record, documented in the 1996 Limca Book of Indian Records, as she served alongside her father who was also a judge in the same court. 
• She has held diverse judicial and administrative positions including Registrar-Vigilance in High Court, Law Secretary in Gujarat Government, CBI court judge, and Special Judge for Serial Bomb blast matters. 
• Her High Court career began with elevation to Gujarat High Court in February 2011, followed by a transfer to Rajasthan High Court (June 2011-February 2016), before returning to Gujarat High Court. 
• She was elevated as Judge of the Supreme Court of India on 31^th August, 2021. 
• Her tenure as Supreme Court Judge will continue until 9^th June 2025, when she is due to retire. 

 Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia 

• Coming from a second-generation legal background, he completed his education at Allahabad University (graduating in 1981), followed by a master's in modern history (1983) and a law degree (1986). 
• His legal career began at the Allahabad High Court in 1986, and he became a Senior Advocate at the Uttarakhand High Court in 2004, notably serving as the First Chief Standing Counsel of the newly created state of Uttarakhand. 
• His judicial career progressed from permanent Judge of Uttarakhand High Court (2008) to Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court (2021), and finally to Supreme Court Judge (7^th May, 2022). 
• He delivered a significant split verdict in the Aishat Shifa case (2023) regarding the hijab ban, ruling that wearing a hijab should be a matter of choice and expression, viewing it as a ticket to education for many conservative families. 
• In Rakesh Raman v. Kavita (2023), he established that an irretrievably broken marriage constitutes mutual cruelty and grounds for divorce under Section 13(1)(ia) of the Hindu Marriage Act. 
• His recent 2024 judgment in Chander Bhan established that Section 52 of the Transfer of Property Act applies universally based on principles of justice and equity, even in states where the Act isn't applicable. 
• He made a significant ruling in Raj Reddy Kallem (2024) that courts cannot compel complainants to compound cheque dishonor cases merely because of compensation by the accused. 
• While serving as Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court, he ordered CCTV cameras in hospitals to be connected to police stations to protect medical practitioners during Covid-19 (Asif Iqbal v. State of Assam, 2021). 
• In Veena Vadini Teachers Training Institute (2023), he ruled against excessive residential reservation, declaring that 75% reservation for residents violates Article 14 of the Constitution. 

Justice BR Gavai 

• Born on 24^th November, 1960, in Amravati, Maharashtra, he is set to become the 52nd Chief Justice of India and notably is the first judge from the Scheduled Caste community to be appointed to the Supreme Court since Justice K.G. Balakrishnan. 
• After completing his B.A.LL.B. from Nagpur University, he began his legal career in 1985, practicing independently at the Bombay High Court and later primarily at its Nagpur Bench. 
• His career progressed from Standing Counsel for various institutions to Government Pleader and Public Prosecutor, before being elevated as Additional Judge of Bombay High Court in 2003 and becoming permanent Judge in 2005. 
• He was elevated to the Supreme Court on 24^th May, 2019, with a tenure that extends until 23^rd November, 2025. 
• He authored the majority judgment in the significant demonetization case (Vivek Narayan Sharma v. Union of India, 2023), upholding the decision with a 4:1 majority and noting its role in addressing various economic evils. 
• In the landmark Amazon.com NV Investment Holdings LLC case (2022), he ruled that Emergency Awards passed by Singapore International Arbitration Centre are enforceable under Section 17 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act. 
• He was part of the bench that handled the notable contempt case against advocate Prashant Bhushan (2020), imposing a symbolic fine of Re.1 while emphasizing the importance of maintaining judicial dignity. 
• In the Pattali Makkal Katchi case (2022), he delivered a significant judgment on reservation policy, ruling against the Tamil Nadu government's 10.5% reservation for the Vanniyar community due to reliance on outdated data. 
• His judicial philosophy is reflected in his famous quote emphasizing continuous learning in legal practice: "The practice of law is an eternal process of learning and that one must continue to learn until the end of one's career. The day one decides to stop learning, it will be the last day."