MUMBAI: What sustains judges is the sense of compassion for society in which we render justice, outgoing Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud said on Friday, reports Swati Deshpande. Such compassion towards society-be it a Dalit student or a child of a marginal daily wage labourer who was unable to pay Rs 17,000 for an IIT Dhanbad seat, or a differently abled student-is when a judge can cut through technicalities to help them in their fight for their fundamental rights and realise the true purpose of being a judge, he said.
"You can find 25 reasons of technical nature not to give relief to citizens; but to me, one justification to grant the relief is all that is necessary," said the 50th CJI to the packed historical central courtroom of Bombay high court , where he was a judge 11 years ago. "Ultimately, it is a question of human dignity ... this is what sustains us."
CJI Chandrachud, who is set to leave office on Nov 10, was being felicitated by Bombay Bar Association, AAWI, and BILS, with Bombay HC Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya reciting an Urdu couplet in his honour. Bombay HC is known for "fearless independence of its judges," said the CJI. He is the tenth CJI that the Bombay HC has given, said BBA Chief Nitin Thakker.
The CJI spoke of the important elements of being a judge. Citing examples of Justices V D Tulzapurkar, R M Kantawala, and others, he said the first was how judges cannot waver from the "cause of justice" and belief in the pursuit of liberty, equality, and due process for citizens. Another tenet is the "element of scrutiny that gets into our work", he said, adding, "Nothing that a judge does misses the scrutiny of the bar. That element of scrutiny is what guides the work of our courts."
The outgoing CJI, however, said he wished to emphasise the importance of being ethical in the practice of law. He said, "There is a tendency to cut corners... but the law has a tendency of catching up... hence it is important to be fair to the court."
"You can find 25 reasons of technical nature not to give relief to citizens; but to me, one justification to grant the relief is all that is necessary," said the 50th CJI to the packed historical central courtroom of Bombay high court , where he was a judge 11 years ago. "Ultimately, it is a question of human dignity ... this is what sustains us."
CJI Chandrachud, who is set to leave office on Nov 10, was being felicitated by Bombay Bar Association, AAWI, and BILS, with Bombay HC Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya reciting an Urdu couplet in his honour. Bombay HC is known for "fearless independence of its judges," said the CJI. He is the tenth CJI that the Bombay HC has given, said BBA Chief Nitin Thakker.
The CJI spoke of the important elements of being a judge. Citing examples of Justices V D Tulzapurkar, R M Kantawala, and others, he said the first was how judges cannot waver from the "cause of justice" and belief in the pursuit of liberty, equality, and due process for citizens. Another tenet is the "element of scrutiny that gets into our work", he said, adding, "Nothing that a judge does misses the scrutiny of the bar. That element of scrutiny is what guides the work of our courts."
The outgoing CJI, however, said he wished to emphasise the importance of being ethical in the practice of law. He said, "There is a tendency to cut corners... but the law has a tendency of catching up... hence it is important to be fair to the court."
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