Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari Sworn In As Acting Chief Justice Of Madras High Court

On the occasion, Acting CJ MN Bhandari opened his reply speech to the welcome address given by the esteemed members of the Bar on a lighter note. Justice MN Bhandari said that he only knew a limited number of Tamil words, and conveyed that he has been trying to learn the Tamil language from his brother and sister judges. He reminisced about his previous visit to Tamil Nadu and how impressed he was with the cultural heritage of the state back then.

"I dreamt of being born in Tamil Nadu then. Today, I have been born again to serve the State of Tamil Nadu and legal fraternity."

On the duties that have been entrusted upon him, Justice MN Bhandari observed, "We need to join hands to serve the litigants and the public. Bar and Bench are the two wheels of a chariot for justice administration".

Before concluding, he noted that the principle of 'No Fear, No Favour' must be unequivocally applied to serve the temple of justice.

During today's ceremony, Advocate General R Shanmuga Sundaram welcomed the Acting Chief Justice on behalf of the Bar. He noted that the illustrious history of Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari as a lawyer and a judge will prove to be beneficial for the Charter High Court of Madras in justice administration. Advocate General also recalled many notable judgments pronounced by Justice MN Bhandari while he was serving in Rajasthan and Allahabad High Courts. He hailed the Acting CJ as a luminary whose prolonged practice in Constitutional, Service, Labour and Arbitration Law is a testament to his expertise in all realms of law.

He stated that any member of the legal fraternity can undoubtedly vouch for the legal wisdom of the new Acting Chief Justice. He found it apt to quote Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to describe Justice MN Bhandari:

"The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night."

He also assured that the members of the Bar will fully cooperate with the Chief Justice for the administration of justice.

P.S Amalraj, Chairman, Bar Council of Tamil Nadu & Puducherry, also welcomed the Acting Chief Justice and particularly mentioned his firm approach in giving directions to the state to fulfil its obligations. He expressed the hope that the legal acumen of Justice MN Bhandari will be a huge asset to the Bench.

Advocate G. Mohanakrishnan, President, Madras High Court Advocates Association observed that Madras High Court has been successful in disposal of case during the pandemic, which is a prime example of the extent of cooperation of Bar and Bench and hoped that the same would continue with Justice MN Bhandari at its helm.

Afterwards, President, Madras Bar Association, said that he was pleasantly surprised to hear about the vast expertise of Justice MN Bhandari in all areas including Arbitration. This is quite contrary to the recent trend where lawyers concentrate on one or two specific areas, he said.

President, Women Lawyers Association, Madras also rendered a warm welcome to Justice MN Bhandari, and quoted from classic Tamil Literature, Tirukkural,  about the qualities of a leader:

"Fearlessness; Generosity; Wisdom; and Motivation are the four persistent characteristics of a leader".

In a ceremony held at Raj Bhavan at 9.30 am, Tamil Nadu Governor R.N Ravi administered the oath of office to Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K Stalin and other state functionaries were also present.

Justice Bhandari was appointed as Judge of the High Court of Rajasthan High Court on July 5, 2007, and he was transferred to Allahabad High Court and took oath as Judge on March 15, 2019.  He was serving as the  Acting Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court from June 2021 till October 2021.

He practised in the Rajasthan High Court at Jodhpur and Jaipur, Central Administrative Tribunal, Jaipur and initially in Supreme Court in Constitutional, Civil, Service, Labour, Criminal and Arbitration matters and specialised in Constitutional, Service, Labour & Arbitration matters.

He was Standing Counsel for Railways; Rajasthan Road Transport Corporation; Nuclear Power Corporation; State Election Commission; Rajasthan University; all Government Electricity Companies of Rajasthan; Jaipur Development Authority; Jaipur Municipal Corporation; Rajasthan Housing Board; Ganga Nagar Sugar Mills Ltd.; Rajasthan Agricultural University.

[With Inputs From Sparsh Upadhyay]

Watch The Welcome Address Here: