My Shoulders Are Broad Enough To Accept All Criticism: CJI DY Chandrachud In Farewell Speech
During his farewell speech at a function organized by the Supreme Court Bar Association, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud highlighted his commitment to transparency, noting that several reforms were motivated by his belief that “sunlight is the best disinfectant.”
He said that he had exposed his personal life to the public, even if it opened him up to scrutiny and criticism, particularly on social media.
“Some of the changes we have made are in pursuance of my strong belief that sunlight is the best disinfectant. I know in so many which ways I've exposed my own personal life to public knowledge and when you expose your own life to public knowledge, you expose yourself to criticism, particularly in today's age of social media. But so be it. My shoulders are broad enough to accept all the criticism that we have faced.”
He emphasized that the support of his colleagues and the Bar had been crucial. “The bar has responded with tremendous support in all the initiatives which we have taken. My colleagues have responded with tremendous support in all the initiatives which we have taken towards making our courts paperless”, he said.
Justice Chandrachud also mentioned his experiences with online trolling, noting humorously that those who often criticized him may now find themselves unemployed following his retirement.
“I'm probably one of the most trolled individuals and judges across the system…On a lighter vein, I am just wondering what will happen from Monday because all those who trolled me will be rendered unemployed!”, the CJI remarked.
CJI Chandrachud highlighted the impact judges can have on ordinary lives, citing several recent cases.
“What makes us tick as judges is the impact which we have on the lives of common citizens…So these are really things where you realize that a judge makes truly a difference to the lives of people”, the CJI said.
He mentioned an order allowing two visually challenged candidates to participate in the Rajasthan Judicial Service Examination, leading to their qualification. He recounted another case involving an aspiring doctor with severe lower-limb myopathy who was initially barred from medical school due to his disability; after a third medical board examination, an interim order allowed his enrolment in MBBS.
Justice Chandrachud also shared instances where the Court intervened to ensure admissions for economically disadvantaged students: one at IIT Mumbai who faced technical issues with fee payments, and a Dalit student admitted to IIT Dhanbad who lacked funds for the admission fee, to whom the Court granted relief. He also noted the case of a member of the Bar with hearing and speech impairments, for whom the Court arranged a sign language interpreter.
CJI Chandrachud observed that the Supreme Court had traditionally been a “Chief Justice-centric Court,” a structure he felt needed reform.
“The Supreme Court is the Chief Justice centric court. The registry looks to one person, the Chief Justice. I thought that had to change. I experimented with constituting committees. And my experience was remarkable”, he said.
The CJI shared that in the Supreme Court, he implemented a system to publicly display data on all pending cases, noting that he found approximately 1,500 cases stashed away in a Registrar's cupboard when he assumed office. He mandated that every case in the system be assigned a unique number, aiming to bring greater order and transparency to the court's processes.
He also addressed concerns about rising pendency, clarifying that the 82,000 pending cases figure includes both registered and unregistered cases and stating that the actual number of pending cases has decreased by over 11,000 in the past two years. He further elaborated that approximately 21,000 bail cases had been filed and disposed of during his tenure.
Acknowledging the difficult decisions made with the Collegium, he praised his colleagues for their unity, mutual respect, and lack of personal agendas. The Collegium's efforts, he said, were rooted in a shared commitment to the institution's interests.
“We sat through the collegium, sometimes making tough choices, tough decisions…We never had a difference of opinion. We never left a meeting with a sense of rancor. All meetings were conducted with a huge sense of humor, with a smile and some snacks which were thrown in by me as well for good measure. But the important part is that we never lost sight of the fact that we are not here with personal agendas at work. We are here to subserve the interests of the institution and in subserving the interests of the institution. It is that we have really in that sense, been able to scale many, many heights”, the CJI said.
Reflecting on his initial years as a judge, he recounted advice from his father, former CJI YV Chandrachud who had bought a modest flat in Pune, insisting that he keep it until the end of his judicial tenure. He shared that his father urged him never to compromise his integrity, offering the flat as a safeguard should he need a roof over his head.
He stressed that judges encounter their own limitations and emphasized the critical role of the Bar in guiding and educating them. He acknowledged that, as a judge, it is not always possible to rectify every injustice within the constraints of the rule of law. However, he said that the healing process in court stems from a judge's ability to listen to those who come before them.
“In the court, you realize that you cannot cure every injustice which comes into your plate every day as a Judge…But you realize that the healing in a court lies in your ability to hear. Your healing in court does not lie in your ability to grant relief. Lawyers know where the balance of a matter lies.”
Justice Chandrachud expressed pride in the Supreme Court's resilience and voiced confidence in the institution's future under the leadership of Justice Sanjiv Khanna. He said he hoped to continue dreaming even as he moves beyond his tenure as CJI, leaving the court in what he described as “solid, stable, and erudite hands.”
Justice Chandrachud was sworn in as the 50th Chief Justice of India on November 9, 2022, and was elevated from the Allahabad High Court on May 13, 2016, to be appointed as a Supreme Court Judge.