Floundered From Chamber To Chamber But Broke Into "Entrenched" Legal Profession With Consistency: Justice Rajiv Shakdher In Farewell Speech

Justice Rajiv Shakdher bid farewell to the Delhi High Court on Tuesday, following his appointment as the Chief Justices of Himachal Pradesh High Courts.

His appointment was notified by the Union Government on September 21.

Justice Rajiv Shakdher was appointed as additional judge of the Delhi High Court on April 11, 2008. He was made a permanent judge on October 17, 2011. He served as a judge of the Madras High Court between April 2016 to January 2018.

Justice Shakdher began his farewell speech by remembering his old days when he entered the legal profession along with a degree in chartered accountancy.

“The law seemed noble, if you like. Courts looked appealing and majestic, at times overwhelming. The gravitas caught my imagination, but it soon disappeared. I thought I was reasonably qualified to enter a chamber with a degree in accountancy and law seemed respectable. I found that it was not enough. I floundered from one chamber to another with no response. I discovered the horrors of a deeply entrenched system,” he said.

The judge said from the stage of no work and no money to some work and some money, his diligence paid off with the help of his friends and initial clients.

“I came to a stage, but there was a lot of work and good recompense. Till God smiled, I was offered judgeship. The honor floored me. Tongue tied, I accepted the offer,” he said.

Further, Justice Shakdher said that even though he was entitled as he came from a service background and had the opportunity to go to the best institutions, yet it was not easy for him to break into the systems and the legal profession.

Referring to Mahabharata, the judge said that the learning for him from the scriptures was that proportionality is important and that there is always another way.

“Thus to be untitled, if I can use that expression, that you may be unconnected, uninitiated and untrained, but if you have fire in your belly, you can unshackle the entrenched system. Fight biases of caste, creed and economics. You have to learn too much to the tune of your own drummer. The trouble only is when there are two drummers sitting in on the bench, then we need symphony,” he said.

The judge added: “Constantly dribbling is not an option for judges. We have to learn to net the ball. We are judges, people watch us silently. People evaluate us. It's my abiding belief, it is not important where you reach in life, but what you do where you are. Opportunity, they say, strikes at the door, but once to do good, grasp it with both hands, just as HR Khanna symbolizes this phenomenon, he and his kind often capture our mind space, inspiring many who tread that path.”