"Bar Is The Mother Of Bench, We All Are Coparcenaries Of An Undivided Family"; CJI Bobde

A Felicitation Ceremony was organized on Thursday in the Supreme Court Lawns by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) in honour of the 47th Chief Justice of India, Sharad Arvind Bobde. 

Chief Justice of India S.A. Bobde then graced the event by commending the strength of the Bar as well as the Bench, and the influence perpetrating from the confluence of the two. He observed and advised the Bar to maintain its independence as well as its dignity in order to provide great service to the nation.

"The relationship between bar and the bench is special given that by all accounts the bar is the mother of the bench. After all most judges commence their careers at the bar and then join the judiciary. All of us (Bar and the Bench) are more like coparcenaries of an undivided family. Anything detrimental to one of the coparicenary naturally affects the other coparcenary. But, the more important reason for the special bond between the bar and bench is the values and beliefs that unite the two. It is this unity which has time and again ensured ardent adherence to the rule of law and zealous protection of the basic and fundamental rights enjoyed by the citizens of this country"

He commented on the importance of the Bar upon whose shoulders the burden of the judiciary remained seated:



"The judiciary has been able to meaningfully respond and become the catalyst of socio-political change. I must acknowledge that the judiciary has been able to do so because of the strength and support which it has been able to derive from the Bar. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that the credibility of the Bar is maintained."



Justice Bobde brought in the aspect of how mentioning matters in the Chief Justice's Court was often done by uninformed lawyers. He propagated the idea that young lawyers need to be trained and should practice in front of other Courts for a few years before being allowed to approach the Bench in superior Courts. He also suggested the integration of a special curriculum in universities which could teach students the art of lawyering. He stated that this was the only guarantee of an excellent Bar in the future.

He also observed the exponential rise in the use of technology and suggested its harness for the betterment of access to cost-effective services in courts. Additionally, he also recommended the lessening of oral hearings as they entailed a waste of time and how decisions on certain matters could be taken by circulation.



Justice Bobde, in a departure from his predecessors, also spoke at great length about the changing and challenging lifestyle of lawyers. He delineated the aspect of equal importance to be given to physical as well as mental health, and implored the SCBA to take the lead in the matter


"Such a demanding lifestyle can have grave consequences on the health of an individual. I believe, we must no longer live in the hubris that only physical well-being is important. We all can agree that the mental well-being of members of both the Bar and Bench is equally important. The time is ripe to focus on the mental well-being of judges and lawyers. Efforts in this direction must attempt both de-stigmatisation of this idea and make available help, where necessary."



The Ceremony ended with Chief Justice Bobde stating that the Committee of Supreme Court judges with Hon'ble Justice L. Nageswar Rao at its helm would look into the issues stated by both the SCBA as well as the Attorney-General. He thanked the SCBA as well as the rest of the Bar for the felicitation. The Ceremony, on this note, concluded with a Vote of Thanks and was followed by High Tea.  

Read the Full Text of The Speech Here