'Proud To Head HC With Maximum Women Judges': Chief Justice Alok Aradhe Bids Farewell To Telangana High Court

"I have a sense of pride to head the High Court, which is one of the youngest Court in the Country and has maximum number of women judges," said outgoing Chief Justice Alok Aradhe, at his farewell function organised at the Telangana High Court on Monday (January 20). 

On January 14, the Centre notified Justice Aradhe's appointment as the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court. 

While addressing the gathering in Court No. 1, Justice Aradhe thanked the bar and the bench at the High Court for making him feel at home. He said that he would always cherish his time at the High Court because it was one of the newest High Courts that was established in the country and had no binding precedents.

“As I am about to begin this new chapter, I carry memories of good times spent in this Court, I have a sense of pride to head the Telangana High Court, which is one of the youngest Court in the Country and has maximum number of women judges. It has been an honour to be a chief justice of this Court...May the Telangana High Court continue to shine as a beacon of justice, fairness and integrity," the judge said. 

The judge further said, "My endeavour has always been to maintain the dignity of the Court and not grant unnecessary adjournments. I have been strict and disciplined in Court, so knowingly or unknowingly I must have hurt many of the advocates. I assure you, it was wholly unintentional, it was just my anxiety to maintain the decorum in court. I am of the opinion that process of learning is mutual, so I have also benefited. I am sure all of you are magnanimous enough to forgive me”. 

After the gathering in the first Court was complete, Justice Aradhe also addressed the advocates in the Bar Association separately where he said that the "Bar is our home and this bar has so much potential”. 

The first keynote was given by Senior Counsel and Advocate General A. Sudharshan Reddy who described the Justice Aradhe as somebody with an 'Administrative foresight' and went on the list the changes Justice Aradhe has bought about in the High Court, in his short term as the Chief Justice.

The AG said that under the guidance of Justice Aradhe, the Telangana High Court became a virtual court and introduced live streaming, which made the process more transparent and accessible. The AG also proudly confessed that according to him, Telangana High Court has one of the best video streaming platforms.

The Bar, Bench and all the attendees were reminded that the Chief set the setting up of a new high Court premise, over 100 acres.

The AG also spoke about the various fields of law Justice Aradhe has become a Master of, from arbitration to service matters, public interest, constitutional matters, and even family law. Justice Aradhe has served as a sitting judge for four High Courts, including Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, and Telangana.

The AG ended his speech by saying “The Chief Justice loves to play cricket and do yoga to get through the rigour of his Judicial Duties. We extend our gratitude for the unwavering goal towards justice and wish him the best for Bombay High Court". 

Meanwhile Justice Sujoy Paul, who has been appointed as the Acting Chief Justice, in his address said, "Justice Aradhe is like an elder brother, friend and philosopher to me”.

Justice Paul too spoke about all the changes Justice Aradhe brought about in the Telangana High Court, from the introduction of AI speech to text tool like 'Shruit', free wifi, E-filing, hybrid mode, setting up of a Digital Wing to advanc technology in Court, setting up of video cameras in the district court and prisons to bridge the gap between access to justice.

He ended his key note by saying that the departure of Justice Aradhe is a loss for the Telangana High Court and a Gain for the Bombay High Court.