All 3 wings of democracy exist for welfare of citizens, cannot work in isolation: CJI Gavai

Mumbai: All the three wings of democracy - executive, judiciary and legislature - exist for the welfare of citizens and none can work in isolation, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Bhushan Gavai said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the project initiation function of the Maharashtra National Law University’s (MNLU) campus in Mumbai, he said the principles of liberty, justice and equality are embodied in the Constitution.

“The judiciary has neither the power of the sword nor the power of words. Unless the executive is on board, it is difficult for the judiciary to provide adequate infrastructure to judiciary as well as legal education,” the CJI said.

He noted law education is now developing with more practical-oriented training and hence infrastructure plays a very important role.

The CJI refuted criticism that the Maharashtra government was found lacking when it comes to providing judiciary infrastructure and insisted the notion was based on incorrect views.

He lauded the state government and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for always being proactive when it comes to providing infrastructure for the judiciary.

“The infrastructure provided to judiciary in Maharashtra is one of the best,” CJI Gavai said.

Law is an evolving and organic branch and there has been a paradigm shift in legal education, he added.

"The infrastructure we are providing today is comparable to the best universities in the world," he said.

“Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar used to say that a lawyer is also a social engineer who brings the promise of social justice into reality,” the CJI maintained.

Fadnavis, in his address, said there are three national law universities in Maharashtra and CJI Gavai has been very supportive in their creation.

“I am sure that very soon the MNLU will be recognised as an international university,” he said.

The Educity educational hub in Navi Mumbai will host 12 of world’s best ranking universities,

Fadnavis said, adding seven of those will be setting up campuses in two to three years.

Later in the day, CJI Gavai laid the foundation stone for a new Bombay High Court complex in suburban Bandra (East) and expressed confidence the upcoming building will be a "temple of justice and not a seven-star hotel".

Addressing a gathering on the occasion, he emphasised the new building should not depict an imperial structure and instead be in tune with democratic values imbibed in the Constitution.

"While planning court buildings, we concentrate on the needs of judges, but should not forget we exist for the needs of citizens, the litigants," CJI Gavai noted.

The CJI, who assumed office on May 14, 2025, said this was his last visit to Maharashtra before demitting the top judicial post on November 24, and noted he was satisfied with the judicial infrastructure in his home state.

"Earlier I was reluctant to be part of this event. But now I am experiencing gratitude that, as a judge who once discharged his duties in the Bombay High Court, I am ending my tenure with laying the foundation stone of the best court building in the entire country. The judiciary, legislature and executive must work under the Constitution to provide justice to society," he maintained.

"Today is a momentous moment, an important milestone in history of the Bombay HC,'' he stated.

CJI Gavai disclosed initially he was reluctant to attend the foundation stone laying ceremony, but he changed his mind when he was told it is not known when a Bombay High Court judge will occupy the country's top judicial post again.

He insisted the judiciary exists to serve litigants who come to seek justice.

"Bar and bench are two wheels of the golden chariot of the institution of justice," the CJI stated.

Chief Minister Fadnavis, in his address at the Bandra event, declared the new building will complement the existing historic structure of the Bombay High Court, which since 1862, has been a witness to several watershed moments and milestones in the country's history.

He noted the old HC building in south Mumbai was completed with an expenditure of Rs 16,000 and Rs 300 was even saved from the allocated funds.

The CM said he requested well-known architect Hafeez Contractor, who is involved in the project, to ensure the grandeur of the new building was kept democratic and not imperialistic.

He said government legal officers should have good space for their offices in the new sprawling premises.

"We (government) are the biggest litigants and there should be space for (our) legal officers," the CM opined.

Fadnavis said he was confident the new HC building will be AI-enabled and will be completed on time.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar noted the foundation stone laying ceremony was a historic moment and a new era in the 150-year-old history of Bombay High Court.

He informed that 15-acre land has already been transferred for the project and the rest 15 acres will be handed over by March 2026. The new complex will be spread across 50 lakh square feet.

Another Deputy Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde, expressed confidence the upcoming complex will be iconic.

He said the entire project will cost more than Rs 4,000 crore, but there is no dearth of funds for the complex.

Shinde noted the new building will complement the existing HC structure at Fort in south Mumbai.