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Author: Avani Kaushik

  • Diogo Jota, Portugal and Liverpool Footballer, dies in road accident

    Diogo Jota, Portugal and Liverpool Footballer, dies in road accident

    Diogo Jota, Portuguese footballer for Liverpool FC, died in a road accident on 3rd July, 2025, at the age of 28. His younger brother Andre Silva, travelling with him, was also killed in the accident.

    Just 11 days after his wedding, Jota was returning to England for pre-season. Having recently undergone lung surgery, he was advised to avoid air travel, so he planned to go from Spain to England via ferry. On their way to the port, while trying to overtake another car they suffered a tyre blowout, veering off the road before fatally catching fire. The crash occurred at around 00:30 CEST.

    Tributes poured in worldwide after the deaths were officially confirmed. Many of Jota’s Liverpool and Portugal teammates expressed shock over the news, reminiscing about their shared memories and recent success for club and country. Arne Slot, Liverpool head coach, remarked, “For us as a club, the sense of shock is absolute. Diogo was not just our player. He was a loved one to all of us.” Liverpool announced that they would pay his family the remaining amount of his contract, which ran until 2027. In their reunion performance on 4th July, British band Oasis paid tribute to Jota, with his picture appearing on screen when they performed ‘Live Forever’.

    Born on 4th December 1996 in Porto, Portugal, Jota started his professional football journey with Paços de Ferreira in 2013, becoming the youngest player to score for the club in the Primeira Liga. After playing for various teams like FC Porto and Wolverhampton Wanderers, he was signed by Liverpool FC in 2020. At Liverpool, he helped the team win the cup double in 2022, clinching both the FA Cup and the EFL Cup, as well as winning the league in the 2024-25 season. He was also part of the squad that reached the UEFA Champions League Final in 2022, losing out to Real Madrid 1-0. For Portugal, Jota made his international debut in 2019, contributing to them winning the UEFA Nations League twice, in 2019 and 2025. The 2025 win over Spain was his final match as a football player. He also made appearances for Portugal at the 2021 and 2024 European Championships. Overall, he earned 49 caps for Portugal.

    He is survived by his wife Rute Cardoso, their three children and the millions of fans whose hearts he touched.

  • Justice B.R. Gavai Appointed as the 52nd Chief Justice of India

    Justice B.R. Gavai Appointed as the 52nd Chief Justice of India

    Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai was sworn in as the 52nd Chief Justice of India (CJI) on 14 May 2025, succeeding Justice Sanjiv Khanna. President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Justice Gavai will serve as CJI until his retirement on 23 November 2025, with a tenure of a little over six months.

    His appointment was confirmed by the Ministry of Law and Justice on 29 April 2025, following a recommendation by Justice Sanjiv Khanna on 16 April. Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and other Union ministers were present at his oath-taking ceremony.

    Legal Career and Judicial Tenure

    Born on 24 November 1960 in Amravati, Maharashtra, Justice Gavai is the first Buddhist to be appointed as CJI and only the second judge from the Scheduled Caste community to hold the position, after former CJI K.G. Balakrishnan.

    Following in his father’s footsteps, the late R.S. Gavai, a well-known Ambedkarite leader and former Governor of Bihar, Sikkim, and Kerala, Justice Gavai enrolled as an advocate in 1985 and began his legal career under Barrister Raja S. Bhonsale, a former Advocate General and High Court judge.

    Justice Gavai practised independently at the Bombay High Court from 1987 to 1990. He specialised primarily in constitutional and administrative law and served as Standing Counsel for various municipal bodies and public institutions. He was later appointed Government Pleader and Public Prosecutor in 2000.

    Justice Gavai was elevated to the post of an Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court on 14 November 2003 and became a Permanent Judge on 12 November 2005. He served at the Mumbai, Nagpur, Aurangabad and Panaji Benches for over 16 years before being appointed to the Supreme Court on 24 May 2019.

    His elevation to the apex court was recommended by the Collegium led by then Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, which cited due representation, along with seniority and merit as the key reasons.

    Key Judgments and Contributions

    As a Supreme Court judge, Justice Gavai has been part of several key Constitution Benches and landmark judgements.

    He authored the majority opinion in the 2023 verdict that upheld the 2016 demonetisation scheme and was on the Bench that upheld the abrogation of Article 370. He also struck down the electoral bonds scheme and supported sub-classification within Scheduled Castes in both majority and concurring opinions.

    Justice Gavai has been part of several high-profile bail rulings as well, including granting bail to former Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and activist Teesta Setalvad. He also led the Bench that ordered the release of A.G. Perarivalan in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

    In 2024, Justice Gavai wrote a concurring opinion in State of Punjab v Davinder Singh, advocating for the exclusion of the ‘creamy layer’ within Scheduled Castes. In another important 2024 ruling, he held that demolitions without due process violated the constitutional right to shelter, laying down procedural safeguards against arbitrary bulldozer actions. He was also on the Bench that convicted Advocate Prashant Bhushan for contempt and later stayed Rahul Gandhi’s criminal defamation conviction.

    Challenges Ahead for CJI Gavai

    Despite his short six-month tenure as Chief Justice, Justice Gavai is set to face several important challenges, with a backlog of over 82,000 cases pending before the Supreme Court as of January 2025, according to the Supreme Court Observer.

    More immediately, two High Court judges, Allahabad HC’s Justice Shekhar Yadav and former Delhi HC judge Yashwant Verma, are facing impeachment proceedings. At the same time, three apex court judges, Justices B.V. Nagarathna, Abhay Oka, and Sanjay Karol, are set to retire in the coming months. With two existing vacancies already, Justice Gavai’s Collegium will need to recommend at least five new appointments to maintain the court’s strength.

    He will also have to decide on several important issues, including pending cases related to the Places of Worship Act, the criminalisation of marital rape, and the validity of certain Waqf Act provisions. As master of the roster, how he allocates these matters and whether he ensures timely hearings will be closely watched.

    Justice Gavai, however, seems to be hitting the ground running. Shortly after taking charge, he addressed media personnel and shared a brief outline of his priorities for the months ahead.