New Delhi | Chief Justice of India B R Gavai has emphasised that judicial activism is bound to stay, but it should not be turned into judicial terrorism.

CJI Gavai said the power of judicial review should be used sparingly and only if a statute is violative of the basic structure of the Constitution.

"Judicial activism is bound to stay. At the same time, judicial activism should not be turned into judicial terrorism. So, at times, you try to exceed the limits and try to enter into an area where normally the judiciary should not enter," Gavai said in response to a question from a legal news portal.

Gavai described the Constitution as a "quiet revolution etched in ink" and a transformative force that not only guarantees rights but actively uplifts the historically oppressed.

Speaking at the Oxford Union in London on the theme 'From Representation to Realisation: Embodying the Constitution's Promise' on Tuesday, the CJI, the second Dalit and the first Buddhist to hold India's highest judicial office, highlighted the positive impact of the Constitution on marginalised communities and gave his example to drive home the point.

"Many decades ago, millions of citizens of India were called 'untouchables'. They were told they were impure. They were told that they did not belong. They were told that they could not speak for themselves.

"But here we are today, where a person belonging to those very people is speaking openly, as the holder of the highest office in the judiciary of the country," the CJI said.