[COVID-19] 'Endurance Will Help Us In Surmounting This Storm' : Madras HC CJ's Message To Legal Community

As the country is going into the third day of the 21-day national lockdown announced to combat the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, the Chief Justice of Madras High Court has sent a message to inspire and motivate the members of legal community during these tough times.

"Endurance will help us in surmounting this storm. Even the greatest of misfortunes have been overcome by the strength of character and courage", Chief Justice Amreshwar Pratap Sahi said in his message.

The CJ made a special mention of the capacity of lawyers for endurance.

"One who bravely endures can even overcome that which cannot be avoided. Lawyers in particular are trained to sustain a struggle in the profession that gives them a platform to develop sustained arguments. They employ logic and rationality to calibrate the strength of a cause and steer themselves, and when in doubt choose a safer heaven for their clients".

As the nation has given a call of medical emergency, the CJ said that a "rigorous self-denial in an environment of a total arrest of civil function is our duty".

"Today, all of us have to exercise this choice of safety, not to escape, but to discharge a greater duty by distancing from congregations and thereby helping in maintaining a benchmark that can break the ruthless spread of the disease. Staying and praying with your families in the times to come will breathe a fresh life and will foster real hope in the lives of others. A self-imposed quarantine is neither a cage nor a jail, it is freedom from Corona virus and a real proof of one's capacity to endure calamities.  Let us rise to the occassin and genuinely answer the call of the nation", CJ AP Sahi said.

He said that the "gloomy air of anxiety" can be converted into a "feeling of expectancy" by taking care of oneself and by showering affection on others to reform and reassure the entire society.

"In short, this is a moment where you can serve your interests and help preserve that of others", he said.

The CJ said that he was making the appeal in "Dunkirk spirit", and referred to the statement of former US President J F Kennedy "Ask not what your country can give to you; ask what you can give to your country".

"This undreamed moment poses a challenge that gives you an enchanting opportunity to face it with courage, determination and enthusiasm to cross an unavoidable part of life forced upon by nature", he said.

In view of the national lockdown, the Madras HC has announced the suspension of its operations and also those of the courts subordinate to it for three weeks from March 24, except for extremely urgent matters.

The life of all interim orders have been automatically extended up to April 30 by a general order passed on March 26.

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