By Swastika Chowdhury
In the times of blurred lines between law and power, Chief Justice of India B R Gavai sent a reminder to the audiences in Mauritius that the Indian republic does not rest in the “rule of the bulldozer” but the rule of law. Recollecting his own verdict at the apex court, speaking in the Sir Maurice Rault Memorial Lecture, he said deprecating the term “bulldozer justice” a phrase which is symbolic of the dangers of the executive acting as the “judge, jury and executioner.”
Speaking and giving an inaugural lecture at the Sir Maurice Rault Memorial Lecture, on 3rd October, 2025 he underscored and undermined that a legal system has to abide by the “Rule of Law in the Largest Democracy” and referenced his own verdict where he deprecated on the practice of “bulldozer justice” clearly stating that the executive cannot itself act as the judge, jury and executioner simultaneously.
In the verdict of bulldozer justice, the apex court held that the charges of demolishing houses of the accused of the alleged perpetrators bypasses the legal course of action and violates the fundamental right to shelter which falls under the Article 21.
Mauritius President Dharambeer Gokhul, Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam and Chief Justice Rehana Mungly Gulbul were all seated in the lecture hall where CJI delivered his speech.
In a social sphere, Justice Gavai reiterated how laws have been created and enacted to redress historical injustices and marginalised communities put a lot of faith in them by invoking them, using the rule of law to assert rights against the systems of oppression in the society.
“Rule of law is not just a mere set of Rules” is what he said referring back to Mahatma Gandhi and B.R Ambedkar who fought so rigorously for the making of the Indian Constitution. In his speech at the memorial he also emphasized upon exercising people’s right to privacy as a fundamental right.
He later added that the principle has shaped legal discourses as the Supreme Court constantly invokes the rule of law to define its constitutional role.