My elevation to Supreme Court was sped up to ensure Dalit representation: Justice BR Gavai

Supreme Court judge Justice BR Gavai on Wednesday said that reservation/ affirmative action has ensured that persons from marginalised communities have been able to reach top government positions in India..He highlighted his own example and said that his elevation to the Supreme Court was advanced by two years since the Collegium wanted to have judges from the Dalit community on the bench. "If not for giving representation to Scheduled Castes, I would have been elevated maybe two years later," he saidJustice Gavai, earlier a well established lawyer, further stated that this was also a factor in his elevation as a Bombay High Court judge from where he was then elevated to the apex court.Justice Gavai said that when he was appointed as a judge in Bombay High Court in 2003, he was a leading lawyer and there was no Dalit judge at the High Court then.“That may be one of the factors in my appointment as a High Court judge," he opined.He stressed that it is only because of the Indian Constitution and its mandate of affirmative action and inclusion that he has been able to serve in the highest judicial office.He was responding to query about the impact of diversity, equity and inclusion on his life, at an event hosted by the New York City Bar Association (NYCB). .The NYCB is a voluntary organisation of law students and advocates.The event saw a cross-cultural discussion on the role of the judiciary in India and the United States of America (USA) in upholding the rule of law, and advancing individual rights. The conversation involving Justice Gavai and Judge Joseph Zayas, the first Latino judge to serve as Chief Administrative Judge in New York State, was moderated by Justice Ushir Pandit-Durant, the first South Asian judge elected to New York State Supreme Court in Queens as well as the first South Asian woman judge elected in New York State.Justice Gavai shared with the audience his humble origins of growing in a slum area and going to a municipal school.When asked about the duties of the Chief Justice of India (CJI), Justice Gavai responded that the CJI provides 'equal leadership to the entire judiciary' in India and maintains its independence. Justice Gavai opined that while fair criticism of judgments on social media is fine, unwarranted criticism of judges through doctored clips is an area of concern. He gave the example of how a doctored clip of CJI Chandrachud adjusting his chair was recently circulated.On the most satisfying moment in his career, Justice Gavai shared how he as a lawyer once saved the livelihood of a slum-dwellers in Nagpur by obtaining an urgent stay from the Supreme Court.