CJI Gavai's tenure saw appointments of 11 judges from Backward Classes, 10 from Scheduled Castes
New Delhi (PTI): Ten judges from Scheduled Caste category, eleven from Other Backward Classes and Backward Classes were appointed to different high courts of the country during Chief Justice of India BR Gavai's tenure of around six months.
Justice Gavai, who is the country's first Buddhist and second Dalit CJI, headed the three-member collegium of the apex court which recommended 129 names to the government for appointment as judges of different high courts, out of which 93 names were cleared.
Five judges -- Justices NV Anjaria, Vijay Bishnoi, AS Chandurkar, Alok Aradhe and Vipul Manubhai Pancholi -- were also appointed to the apex court during his tenure.
According to the details of appointment of judges uploaded on the apex court's website from May 14 onwards, when Justice Gavai became Chief Justice of India, 93 names cleared by the government for the high court included 13 judges from minority communities and 15 women judges.
Five of them are related to former or serving judges and 49 judges were appointed from the Bar while rest were from the service cadre.
CJI Gavai is set to demit office on Sunday, November 23 and his successor Justice Surya Kant will be sworn in as the next Chief Justice of India on November 24.
Justice Gavai, the 52nd Chief Justice of India, has delivered prodigious verdicts during his six-month tenure, including those that stayed key provisions of the Waqf law, struck down the tribunal reforms statute and allowed the Centre to grant post facto green nods to projects.
Friday was the last working day of CJI Gavai, who was the second Dalit after KG Balakrishnan to head the Indian judiciary.
Overwhelmed by rich tributes on his last working day, CJI Gavai said he was leaving the institution "with a full sense of satisfaction and contentment" and as a "student of justice" on concluding four decades of journey as a lawyer and a judge.
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Ayush signs off with silver at Badminton Asia Championships
Ningbo (China) (PTI): India's Ayush Shetty signed off with a silver medal after his giant-killing run ended in a straight-game loss to world No. 2 Shi Yu Qi in the final of the Badminton Asia Championships here on Sunday.
The 20-year-old from Mangalore struggled to find his rhythm, going down 8-21, 10-21 to the reigning world champion from China, as India's 61-year wait for a men's singles gold at the event continued.
Despite the loss, it was a creditable campaign from the unseeded youngster, who became only the second Indian men's singles player after Dinesh Khanna to reach the final of the continental showpiece.
Khanna remains the only Indian singles champion at the event, having won the title in 1965. Since then, only the men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have lifted the trophy, winning it in 2023.
World No. 25 Ayush entered the contest on the back of defeats to Shi at the Malaysia Super 1000 earlier this year and the Indonesia Masters last season. However, he had played with far greater control and attacking clarity this week, toppling world No. 1 Kunlavut Vitidsarn, world No. 4 Jonatan Christie and world No. 7 Li Shi Feng en route to the final.
However, the Indian, a product of the Padukone-Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence in Bengaluru, failed to counter the tactical discipline of Shi, who used his repertoire of strokes and deception to deny Ayush the opportunity to play his natural attacking game.
Shi dictated the geometry of the court from the outset, controlling the net exchanges and forcing Ayush into the forecourt battle early. The variation in the Chinese player’s game blunted the Indian’s attack, as his smashes lacked precision and he succumbed to scoreboard pressure, leading to rushed shot-making.
Shi Yu Qi logged the opening points with two fine net dribbles to race to a 4-0 lead, as Ayush’s smashes lacked precision early on and he trailed 2-6. A long rally ended with the Chinese player going wide, offering the Indian some respite. A deceptive net shot helped Shi move to 7-4, and he extended the lead to 11-6 as Ayush struggled for control, committing a string of unforced errors.
Shi mixed it up effectively, producing a lovely drop shot and repeatedly drawing the Indian to the forecourt with cross returns like a metronome, forcing errors. Two down-the-line smashes gave Shi a massive cushion of game points, and he sealed the opening game when Ayush sprayed a return wide.
The Indian needed a complete reset to stay alive, and he responded with a thunderous straight smash before diving on both flanks to keep the shuttle in play and move to 3-1 in the second game. Shi continued to test Ayush with backhand deceptive net strokes and pushes to the deep, but the Indian managed to retrieve everything and even found his precision in time, with an on-the-line smash confirmed by Hawk-Eye and a well-constructed rally taking him to 7-2.
However, he couldn't hold on to the momentum as the Chinese clawed back to 7-7 after two long shots and a smash into the net from Ayush. A return that kissed the backline from Shi, followed by another error from Ayush at the net and a return into the net, handed the Chinese the advantage once again at the interval, as he led 11-8.
Shi’s ability to place the shuttle into empty spaces with his repertoire of strokes, often punctuated by a fierce smash, made life difficult for the Indian as he stretched the lead to 13-8. Soon, the Chinese was up 15-9 with another powerful smash.
A body return followed by a straight smash took him to 17-9, and another long shot from Ayush further dented his chances. A perfectly angled smash into the forehand corner brought Shi within two points of victory. He then unleashed a cross-court smash to earn 10 match points and sealed the contest with a return that cramped the Indian, targeting his hip.
