CJI UU Lalit Was Collaborative, Consultative & Compassionate : Justice DY Chandrachud

Chief Justice of India-designate, Justice DY Chandrachud, on the farewell ceremony of the 49th Chief Justice of India UU Lalit, stated that CJI Lalit transformed Supreme Court from a colonial institution to an institution which reached out to people. The farewell function, which was organised in the honour of CJI Lalit by the Supreme Court Bar Association, was held on November 7, 2022.

"I learnt that he was collaborative, consultative, and most importantly, compassionate", Justice Chandrachud said recollecting the experiences of sharing the bench with CJI Lalit. Justice Chandrachud mentioned an instance of a case decided by him while sharing the bench with Justice Lalit. They both felt sorry for dismissing a case, which related to a group of young engineers from Jammu and Kashmir, however, the law was strongly against the petitioners. Later, when a miscellaneous application was filed in the case after the judgment, Justice Lalit persuaded Justice Chandrachud to work out some relief for the petitioners for future within the framework of law.At the outset, Justice DY Chandrachud said that the relationship he shared with CJI Lalit travelled long back between their families, even before they were both born.  

"Justice Lalit's father, a very respected senior counsel Shri Umesh Lalit moved his career from Solapur to Mumbai and he was then referred to as a junior and worked as a junior at my father's chambers on the appellate side of the Bombay High Court. So our relationship really traces its way back, much before we joined the bar and much before we had the first cognizance of our own senses."

While talking about how daunting it was for judges from High Court to come to Supreme Court, Justice DY Chandrachud said that assignments in the High Court were subject specific. However, he said, that the Supreme Court had its own work rhythm, its own cycle, where judges had to deal with everything from the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code to serious crimes amongst other things. He added–

"I must confess to you that I came to grips on my understanding of the nature of criminal work in practice sitting with the Chief Justice, Justice Lalit as he then was. I understood from him the nuances of the procedure and the substantive law governing the criminal law. I found while sitting with him for over an extended period of time that our Chief Justice was collaborative, consultative and above all he was compassionate."

Justice Chandrachud also stated that the Chief Justice shared with him a conversation with a former Chief Justice which was about how should a judge read a brief. He said–

"The purpose of a judge reading a brief is to meet the lawyer and not beat the lawyer. Now every thing that we say, it tends to get reported in the social media so I must correct myself. What the former chief justice meant about meeting the lawyer was meeting the lawyer intellectually and what he meant to say about not beating a lawyer was to not be aggressive."

Referring to the praises showered on CJI Lalit as not just an accolade for his lawyering but also for his remarkable leadership skills, Justice Chandrachud said–

"Personally as your successor, I am conscious that I have very big sized shoes to fit because you have really raised the bar for the Chief Justice. Justice Lalit's career from his time as a lawyer has been a reflection of his dedication to public service. Justice Lalit served as a member of the Supreme Court Legal Service Committee for two terms, he was CBI special prosecutor in all the 2G matters, he was one of the most favoured amicus curaies in the court."

He added that the CJI's demeanour on the bench was an example for all judges on how to become calm even in the most stressful times. Additionally, Justice Chandrachud said that the CJI, on an administrative side had been committed to increasing access to justice is not just during his tenure as a Chief Justice of India but even earlier while serving as the chairperson of the NALSA by ensuring that justice reaches grass-root levels of the society.

"He expanded the reach of NALSA by reaching to the remotest parts of the country. Through these initiatives he has rolled the wheel in helping us transform the image of our institution from a colonial justice delivery system to a system where people have to be reached out to, he has transformed the justice delivery system from a system which has to be reached out by people to a system which reaches out to people."

Justice Chandrachud also highlighted how CJI Lalit prioritised the listing of important constitutional cases, how he ensured accessibility to hearings for the general public by live streaming and how he streamlined the listing process by ensuring transparency in the registry and decreasing pendency of cases. He concluded his address by stating that he hoped to provide continuity to all the good work that CJI Lalit had begun.