Judiciary Is Not Defined By A Single Decision, Don't Lose Hope Due To One Perceived Unfair Judgment : CJI Ramana In Farewell Address

The Chief Justice of India, N.V. Ramana, while speaking at the farewell event organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association said that people's hope upon the institution cannot be so weak that it is shattered with one perceived unfair judgment. Our judiciary is not defined by a single order or decision, the CJI said, adding that the Court has always corrected itself.

He commenced his address by recounting the struggles that he had faced in life and stated that he started his journey from a remote village, He said that–

" My life's journey began in a remote village called Ponnavaram in the Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh where electricity, roads and basic amenities were not available. First time I saw electricity when I was 12 years old. I learnt the alphabets in English around the same time. We used to reach school walking on muddy roads, across the fields and crossing streams. With a lot of struggle, and hard work I have come up in life. For this, I thank my first gurus, that is, my parents and the teachers in various government schools."

While recounting living through the Emergency period in India, CJI Ramana stated that–

" I have also suffered on account of the Emergency excesses. In fact, I lost an academic year on this count. Confronting problems, and resolving issues, is not something new to me. This period enabled me to interact with persons of varying ideologies and broadened my horizons. They taught me as to how to live in isolation, in an environment where you cannot express or share your thoughts on any of the issues...Through these ordinary everyday experiences, I developed the extraordinary passion of serving the people."

The outgoing CJI also stated that he put all his efforts in being a judge but him and his family was subjected to many scrutinies and that it was extremely difficult to live the life of a judge–

" From the date I joined bench till I reached the highest possible position in the judiciary, I was subjected to conspiratorial scrutinies. My family and I suffered in silence. But ultimately, the truth will always prevail. Satyameva Jayate...I never claimed myself to be a scholarly judge or a great judge, but I have always believed that the ultimate purpose of justice delivery system is to provide justice to the common man...I have elaborated in my earlier speeches as to how difficult the life of a Judge is. Your health also gets ruined in the process. Only Judges and lawyers understand this aspect of a Judge's life. It is for you lawyers to explain to the people of hard work involved in a judge's life."

While addressing how judiciary as an institution had always corrected itself and stating that one judgement could not define what judiciary was, he said–

" In the last 75 years, our jurisprudence has evolved considerably. Our judiciary is not defined by a single order or decision. Yes, at times, it fell short of peoples' expectations. But most of the times, it has championed the cause of the people. It was widely predicted that with A.K. Gopalan, the due process of law was history. But, this Court, in the case of Maneka Gandhi restored what was taken away earlier. Similarly, ADM Jabalpur was seen as a death knell on personal liberty. Subsequently, the error stood rectified by a 9-Judges Bench in K. S. Puttaswamy. This institution never hesitated to remedy itself. Your hope upon the institution cannot be so weak that it is shattered with one perceived unfair judgment."

CJI Ramana also addressed reflections of judiciary in media and said–

" One aspect that I want to bring to your notice is my choice of travelling across the country almost every weekend to speak to the public through various events. The popular perception is that the Indian judiciary was alien and quite distant to the general public. There are still millions with suppressed judicial needs who are apprehensive to approach the judiciary in times of need. My experience so far has convinced me that in spite of fulfilling its Constitutional mandate, the judiciary does not find adequate reflections in the media, thereby depriving the people of knowledge about the Courts and the Constitution...I have actively tried to promote a sense of belongingness of the people with the system."

He also underscored how his collegium had filled vacancies in both the Supreme Court as well as the High Court. He said that–

" I am happy to inform that thanks to my collegium judges and consulting judges, in the last 16 months, we could appoint 11 judges to the Apex Court and out of the 255 recommended for the various High Courts, 224 Judges are already appointed. This amounts to nearly 20% of the total sanctioned strength of the High Courts. Due to our concerted efforts, we could make considerable progress in appointing more women judges and promoting social diversity on the Bench. We got 15 new Chief Justices for various High Courts during the same period. This process is a reflection of the coherence and determination of the Judges to strengthen our institution, to further the goal of justice."

While concluding his address, CJI Ramana expressed his gratitude to Attorney General Shri K.K. Venugopal, who he referred as the Bheeshma pitamaha of the Indian legal fraternity, the Solicitor General for his active assistance to the Court and Mr. Vikas Singh, the President of SCBA. He also thanked the media for being extremely cooperative in disseminating the information about the judiciary and his family members.

He stated that he wished to be judged as a judge who greatly relished and enjoyed the job, who meticulously followed the rules of the game and did not trespass into provinces forbidden and who heard the senior and the junior alike. Finally, he said that–

"I have seen the flow of emotions in Courtroom No. 1 this morning. This is a reflection of the strong sense of your belongingness with the institution. I was touched by the display of emotions in particular by Mr. Sibal and Mr. Dave."

Sr. Adv. Sibal had earlier today, in the ceremonial bench, expressed his gratitude to CJI Ramana for making the government answerable and Sr. Adv. Dave had broken down crying referring to CJI Ramana as a "citizens' judge".

Video of CJI NV Ramana's speech :