Jharkhand High Court Bids Farewell to Acting Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar

The Jharkhand High Court on Thursday bid adieu to Acting Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar, who is being transferred to the Rajasthan High Court after an 11-year tenure as a Judge. The ceremonial bench held in his honour was filled with appreciation for his warm personality and calm demeanour.

Justice Chandrashekhar was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Jharkhand High Court on January 17, 2013, and became a permanent Judge on June 27, 2014. The Central government has notified his transfer, with Justice BR Sarangi being appointed as the new Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court.

During the ceremony, Advocate General Rajeev Ranjan highlighted Justice Chandrashekhar's significant contributions to judicial modernization, stating, "Hon'ble justice Chandrashekhar has been a strong advocate for use of technology in the judiciary. His push for the digitisation of the court records and the implementation of e-courts has modernized our judicial processes making them more transparent and accessible. This forward thinking approach has positioned the Jharkhand High Court as a pioneer in the judicial reforms setting a benchmark for others to follow."

In his farewell speech, Justice Chandrashekhar reflected on his tenure, noting, “Since 17.01.2013, the day I took oath as the additional judge of the High Court of Jharkhand, I have witnessed the growing faith of the people in the institution of the High Court. I am a witness to justice in action. On 24.05.2023, the new High Court building was dedicated to the people of Jharkhand By the President of India.”

He continued, “The inauguration of the new High Court building was a way forward in pursuit of Justice, a beacon of hope for those seeking redress in our dedication to the inherence to the rule of law.”

Justice Chandrashekhar highlighted the court's achievements, stating, “During my tenure as a judge of the High Court of Jharkhand, I have seen the maximum strength of 21 judges and presently we are 19 judges who all work with such a zeal that this high court has achieved several milestones in the last 6 months.”

“These 6 months were the most satisfying time of my tenure as a judge of this High Court as I had time to closely work with my brother Hon'ble Justice SN Prasad and brother Justice Rongon Mukhopadhyay.”

He emphasized the duty of judges, stating, “Dear friends, while working as a judge, we are always reminded of our duty to dispense justice, protect the rights of the poor and marginalized and to safeguard the constitutional principles and to uphold people's faith in judiciary.”

Justice Chandrashekhar praised his colleagues, saying, “Sister and brother judges of this court are endured with a sense of responsibility and carry all good qualities in head and heart. As the judge of this High Court, I have seen them doing their extra bit to live upto the expectations of the common man.”

He acknowledged the cooperation of the bar and the registry, stating, “I believe that the justice dispensing system can work only with the cooperation of the bar and a dedicated registry. The senior advocates and the senior members of the bar are always well prepared and skilfully present their cases.”

Justice Chandrashekhar also commended the junior members of the bar, stating, “Even the junior members of the bar are very persuasive in their approach and if given a chance they can compete with any good lawyer in other high courts. They all have been very courteous and respectful to the Court and with a sense of great satisfaction, I must appreciate the assistance rendered to the Court by the learned members of the Bar.”

Born on May 25, 1965, Justice Chandrashekhar completed his LL.B. course from Campus Law Centre, University of Delhi in 1993 and was enrolled as an Advocate with the Delhi State Bar Council on December 9, 1993. He started his practice at Delhi on both criminal and civil sides.

In about 19 years of practice as an advocate in different courts, he conducted about 3,500 cases, mostly in the Supreme Court of India. There are about 140 reported judgments of the Supreme Court in which he appeared as counsel.

He was standing counsel for the All India Council for Technical Education and the State of Jharkhand in the Supreme Court. He represented Bihar State Housing Board, Bihar State Pollution Control Board, Jharkhand State Electricity Board, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, and various other corporations and institutes, besides being the retained counsel for private companies.

Click Here To Watch Farewell Ceremony Of Acting Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar