‘Judiciary Is A Wonderful Platform To Perform, There Is No Interference’: Justice Poonam Bamba Bids Farewell To Delhi High Court

Justice Poonam A Bamba on Thursday bid farewell to the Delhi High Court and said that she is demiting office with deep gratitude in her heart and great sense of satisfaction of having lived by the oath of office.

“It [judiciary] is a wonderful platform to perform. There is no interference. You can create anything you desire, though within four corners, but we all know law confers lot of powers on the judges.…. So this gave me a platform to grow and evolve in every which way,” she said.

Justice Bamba completed graduation in LLB in 1983 and joined Delhi Higher Judicial Service in 2002. Before that, she practiced law and represented various banks and SEBI. She was elevated as a permanent judge of the Delhi High Court on March 28 last year.

“I am reminded of a very famous dialogue of Rajesh Khanna in film Anand, “Babu moshaaye, zindagi badi honi chahiye, lambi nahin.” So I can say that my journey in the High Court though short has been very significant for me. And if legitimate expectation of long tenure is met that is always welcome,” the judge said.

Justice Bamba further said that she is especially grateful to the fellow judges for embracing her as their own, even though the tenure was very short.

“Once someone asked me, do you believe in destiny? I did not know how to respond. I wasn't sure. But today when I look at look back at my life journey. I can answer it better. I think it was destiny’s push that I'm here today. And I stand here exactly 40 years since I joined this journey in the field of law. As everyone mentioned, I was a science student and had nothing to do with law. Never dreamt of it. But after completing my B SC botany honors, I was awaiting my enrollment as an MSc which took some time and my father persuaded me to join law in the interregnum,” Justice Bamba said.

She added: “Though things are destined, I think the choices we make in life help us further our destiny. So people sometimes ask if everything is just fine, so why work? This is a question in spiritual world, which as I said, things are designed but you have to make choices, sometimes tough ones.”

She further said that from practicing law and later working in banking sector and securities market, judiciary has been the most enriching in her life.

“It gave gave me immense satisfaction not only at professional level, but also at personal level. Professionally, in whatever little way if I could meaningfully touch lives, whether while dealing with haggard spouses, traumatized children, abandoned children, senior citizen parents, undertrial criminals, corporates or citizens whose lands had been acquired and even terrorists. And at personal level, I give full credit to Judiciary for my exponential growth and evolvement as a human being,” the judge said.

She added: “The ones who always had grievance against the system or the judges also taught me that they hold nothing personal against me. They just exhibit their own personal experiences with the system. And those who showered praises also gave me a lesson. It is time to detach. All those things are directed at your seat.”

Justice Bamba also said that she has always had a human centric approach to governance and administration, which came handy when she was posted as a district judge in three different districts from time to time for about five years.

“And I've also experienced the divine takes care of you if you just trust. And when I merrily went around with busyness of my life, two of the senior colleagues asked me, speech likh li kya. That was a kind of gentle reminder the universe gave that it is time to hang on the costume and collect your thoughts. So I'm grateful to Justice Rajiv Shakdher and Justice VK Rao who asked me and gave a gentle nudge to me,” Justice Bamba said.

She added: “I'm blessed to receive this grand send off twice over once as a district judge and today as a judge of this High Court. Only chosen one can be showered with so much of love and affection.”

Justice Bamba concluded her farewell speech by saying that she has discharged her duties to the best of her abilities.

“So it's a kind of homecoming when you hang on your robes or your costume. And this is maybe I can tell my younger colleagues that when I started practicing it, When I hang my coat in the evening on that stand, I do it with consciousness that this is the role I was performing. And tomorrow I put on makeup and put on the costume once again. Though tough thing to do.”