Chief Justice of Australia Stephen Gageler visits SC, shares dais with CJI Gavai

New Delhi | Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia Justice Stephen Gageler AC on Friday visited the Supreme Court where he was accorded a warm welcome and shared dais with Chief Justice of India B R Gavai.

Justice Gageler is on an official visit to India to participate in the ongoing "Delhi Arbitration Weekend".

The CJI welcomed the Australian counterpart and introduced him to lawyers and litigants in the courtroom where he was sharing the dias with Justices Vinod Chandran and N V Anjaria.

The visiting dignitary observed the courtroom proceedings for over an hour, offering a rare moment of judicial exchange at the country's highest court.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi recalled his visit to Australia during his tenure as attorney general in 2015.

“When I was attorney general in 2015, we visited Australia as part of the Indo-Australian Legal Forum, and we also visited the High Court,” he said.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was in the courtroom, referred to Justice Gageler's distinguished tenure at the bar and the bench.

Welcoming the Australian chief justice, Mehta said, “This visit is too short a visit… A longer time will perhaps allow us to host you across the length and breadth of the country. It's a beautiful country with diverse cuisine and culture.” The CJI revealed Justice Gageler had already experienced Delhi's famous street food.

“Yesterday he tasted the Delhi chaat also,” the CJI quipped.

Gageler was appointed to the high court in October 2012, and became the Chief Justice in November 2023.

He was serving as the solicitor-general of Australia at the time of his appointment.