Five judges -- Justices NV Anjaria, Vijay Bishnoi, AS Chandurkar, Alok Aradhe and Vipul Manubhai Pancholi -- were also appointed to the Supreme Court during his tenure.

Justice Gavai has delivered remarkable verdicts, including those that stayed key provisions of the Waqf law and allowed the Centre to grant post facto green nods to projects.

Gavai had justified his recent landmark verdict quashing key provisions of the 2021 Tribunals Reforms law, saying independence of the judiciary is the basic structure of the Constitution, and freedom of tribunals cannot be compromised.

Overwhelmed by tributes pouring in on his last working day (Friday), CJI 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.

CJI Gavai is set to demit office tomorrow and his successor Justice Surya Kant, will be sworn in as the next Chief Justice of India on November 24.