‘Delhi’s Loss Is Manipur’s Gain, Burden Of Bringing Happiness To Place Full Of Sadness On Judiciary’: Delhi HC Bids Farewell To Justice Siddharth Mridul

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday bid farewell to Justice Siddharth Mridul, who has been a judge for more than 15 years and is now appointed as the Chief Justice of Manipur High Court.

Justice Mridul was appointed as Additional Judge of the Delhi High Court on March 13, 2008, and became a Permanent Judge on May 26, 2009.

In the farewell function organised by the Delhi High Court Bar Association, Justice Rajiv Shakdher wished Justice Mridul the best for his tenure as the Chief Justice of Manipur High Court, a State which is currently “full of sadness”.

“The burden of bringing happiness to a place full of sadness right now has fallen on the judiciary…It is a challenging place. There are a lot of unhappy moments but I am sure our friend, my colleague, will manage the situation all well,” Justice Shakdher said.

Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma also congratulated Justice Mridul and said that citizens of Manipur will greatly benefit from his presence.

“Certainly the blessings will ensure that your tenure in Manipur is a successful one…I am experiencing mixed emotions today. Delhi’s loss is Manipur’s gain. The citizens of Manipur will greatly be benefited with your presence, ensuring their confidence in the due process of law. Your presence will be missed at a personal level,” the Chief Justice said.

Addressing a gathering of all the High Court judges and lawyers, Justice Mridul said that he does not think that it is his farewell but it is only “till we meet again” for him.

“It is a bitter sweet moment for me. There is one thing I’d never be able to do again is to be able to preside over a court in this institution. It is a loss which I will feel deeply. Had it not been for the people gathered here today, who I’ve know for three decades or more, I would not have been who I am today,” Justice Mridul said.

He added, “What you see today is an evolved version of what I was when I became a member of the bar. This evolution, this growth is not possible without this bar and each and every one of you.”

Justice Mridul candidly accepted that he does not claim himself to be infallible and that he has made mistakes, but he said that he has never repeated a mistake after realizing it.

He also said that the senior most judges of the Delhi High Court are the senior most judges of the country. We have been here for too long, he said.

In the full court farewell reference function organized by the Delhi High Court, Justice Mridul thanked his family members for their love and support and said that it enabled him to walk only in the direction he wanted to.

“My late father has been my role model and my inspiration all along my journey as a person, as a lawyer, and then as a judge of this court. For those who may not know, my late father was a judge of the High Court of Judicature at Bombay where I spent my childhood and where I completed high school. My father from a very young age instilled in me the qualities of kindness, compassion, and zeal to serve humanity. I imbibed from him forthrightness, and fearlessness as well as unity of thought, speech and action,” he said.

The judge added that after his father’s demise at a young age of 54 years, he had to reinvent himself to take charge of the struggles that his family endured.

“Many a time I almost determined to give up my dream of becoming a lawyer by securing employment. But by His grace, I have succeeded. I'm grateful eternally to all the members of my family for the unstinting and unflinching love and support, which has enabled me to walk mainly in the direction that I wanted,” Justice Mridul said.

He added, “As a person and as a professional, I have subscribed to the credo that it is better to be high spirited, even though one makes more mistakes, than to be narrow minded and all too prudent. This hallowed institution, and all those who are of all of it, lawyers as well as judges, I thank from the bottom of my heart for accepting me as I am and for showering me with love, support and understanding throughout.”

Justice Mridul also said that the bar and the bench are the two wheels of the administration of justice which have always worked together in Delhi to secure for the people of the country liberty, equality and justice, social, economic and political.

“My personal belief is that the objective all of us seek to attain is to ensure the welfare and well being of the lowest social and economic denominator. In other words, until the upliftment of the weakest section of society,” he said.

He added, “I will miss Delhi is a beautiful city and all the courts that I have practiced in Delhi as a lawyer, the Supreme Court of India downwards including the tribunals, some of which do not exist anymore.”