CJI BR Gavai: Judges Must Be In love With Justice, Not Money, To Uphold Public Faith

The reputation of the judiciary sometimes comes under strain due to the conduct of certain judges, said Chief Justice of India BR Gavai on Saturday.

CJI Gavai noted that incidents involving a single High Court judge are often reported in the bar, newspapers, or circulate online.

CJI said: ‘I will not name anyone, but such actions impact the institution as a whole.’

He was speaking at the 10th All India Conference of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) 2025.

On the subject of ethics, He said: ‘Judges and tribunal members must remain devoted to justice, not money.’

CJI said that judicial power must be exercised with humility.

CJI Gavai added that public trust depends on responsibility, fairness, and transparency.

He lauded CAT’s four-decade-long role in easing the burden on regular courts and ensuring access to justice in service matters.

However, he called for urgent reforms to strengthen tribunal functioning and enhance justice delivery for civil servants.

JI cautioned that pendency remains a serious concern, now exceeding one lakh cases.

The CJI talked about growing trend of multiple challenges being filed before High Courts against CAT orders, leading to prolonged litigation.

Justice Gavai said that creating a filtering mechanism or certifying authority is important to decide which appeals truly deserve further consideration. He stressed the need for consistency and transparency.

He also talked about better service conditions and the establishment of a centralised case-data system similar to the National Judicial Data Grid, to make tribunal proceedings more transparent.

CJI said: ‘Judges and tribunal members must remain in love with justice, not money.’

Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, in his address, talked about government departments’ ‘automatic appeal’ culture.

He noted that appeals are often filed mechanically against tribunal rulings, even when orders are correct, simply because of routine notings by officials.

Later, departments admit such appeals were unnecessary.

He said that this tendency must change, urging a more judicious approach to reduce unnecessary litigation.

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