New Delhi: Justice D Y Chandrachud on Sunday concluded his tenure as the 50th Chief Justice of India after two years marked by transformative rulings and substantial reforms.
His last working was day celebrated in the Supreme Court premises on Friday.
He will be succeeded by Justice Sanjiv Khanna as the 51st CJI on November 11.
His farewell ceremony was celebrated at the Supreme Court premises on Friday, November 8.
A ceremonial bench assembled at 2 pm in Court no 1 of the Supreme Court to commemorate CJI DY Chandrachud’s last working day.
The bench also comprised CJI-designate Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra.
CJI DY Chandrachud, heading the ceremonial bench, on his last working day said that he ensured there are 50 matters on his board to decide so that the opportunity to render justice is not lost even on the last working day.
The outgoing CJI also inaugurated the newly built Ladies’ Bar Room.
Attorney General R Venkataramani said, I was in Brazil recently and after the conference ended everyone started dancing. what if I ask everyone here to dance on your retirement and I am sure most will vote in my favour, the AG said.
SG Tushar Mehta said that there was complete impartiality in the dispensation of justice during CJI Chandrachud’s tenure.
We were never hesitant in good or bad matters before you. For government we won a few we lost many but we knew that we did not get an opportunity to convince the court and put our point forward.
My lord has always taken a stand as the karta of the family, He will be missed by all of us, the SG said.
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal said, “You are an extraordinary son of an extraordinary father..The ever smiling Dr Chandrachud, your face shall be etched forever.
As a judge your conduct was exemplary and the way you reached out to communities and showed what dignity means to them. We are in a wed lock bound to values of constitution.
Sibal further said, “Your father dealt with the court when the court was tumultuous and you dealt when matters were tumultuous. There will be none like you who shall adorn that chair ever again.
Senior Advocate Dr AM Singhvi said, “Your energy has only increased in the last 42 years. You exceed the statute of patience. You always managed to listen to us beyond time. You have done much for technology and modernisation of the court like no one else. You had also brought us closer to ipads. You held so many constitution benches, 7 judges, 9 judges and wrote judgments. You must also tell us the elixir of your youth, Dr Singhvi said.
Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi said, “Lawyers were heard totally. I met the CJI when he was a ASG in Mumbai and I was ASG in Delhi. We used to have lunch behind Apsara pen mart. I hope to again go on lunches with you. I welcome Justice Khanna he comes from my High Court and the last CJI from my High Court was 15 years ago who was Justice Sabharwal, Rohatagi said.
Additional Solicitor General N Venkataraman said, your temperament shall be known by 5Cs: Calm, cool, composed, neither critical nor condemning. You have been a record breaker and do not carry success to your head.
ASG SV Raju said, you will be always remembered through your judgments and speeches which were always thought provoking.
Nani Palkiwala Law club member said, “ We wish you all the best to the term at the International Court of Justice now.”
CJI Chandrachud said, “what”! (To his colleagues) (There are murmurs in the Supreme Court that Justice Chandrachud will be nominated to the International Court of Justice) Senior Advocate Shadan Farasat lauded CJI’s decision to increase the salary of the Supreme Court law clerks Another Counsel on behalf of Nani Palkiwala National Law Clerk we wish you a brighter future in ICJ ! Court smiles Don’t forget the chap who wanted to sing…
ICJ? International Court of justice…brother WAT?
Senior Advocate Shikhil Suri showed a painting of CJI Chandrachud made by his son Senior Advocate Rajiv Shakdher said, ” if you let time pass you can always reflect what could have been done. I think you have utilised all the time you had. You turned 24 hours day into 48 hours one..Little do people understand that there are trials and tribulations for a judge and you do not get what you always want. I wish you all the very best always and forever.. He narrated few lines of a song, Kisiko mukammal jahaan nahi milta Kahi zameen toh kahi aasmaan nahi milta.
Sr Adv Madhavi Divan: I still remember when you were sworn in Bombay HC.. court 46. I remember when I met Mrs YV Chandrachud.. how is your grandsons..what they wants to be.. and she told me .. they want to be a former Chief Justice of India.
Sr Adv Siddhartha Dave said, when you took oath as the judge of this court someone came and told me there is a judge who is younger than you and appears to be more charming than you. I said okay let me see.. and since then we have been charmed by you.
Senior Advocate Huzefa Ahmadi said you were the one who helped the underdog litigants also the woman in the army.
Senior Advocate KK Venugopal said, When your father asked me should I advise him to continue at the bar or take judgeship.. I said he is a great lawyer and let him continue in the same.
But you took up judgeship and thank God. If you had listened to me then we would have lost such a judge.
ASG Aishwarya Bhati said, The court will see after 25 years what you have done when we see so many woman lawyers.
The CJI designate Justice Sanjiv Khanna said, Justice Chandrachud has made my task easy and tough. Easy because of the revolutions ushered in and tough because I cannot walk up to him, he will be sorely missed. His ever youthfulness is not known here only but also abroad. In Australia, there were so many who came to me and asked what is his age.
The CJI said, “When I was young I used to see how to argue and learn court craft.
We are here as pilgrims to work and the work we do can make or break cases.
The CJI added that there have been great judges who have adorned this court and passed on this baton. It will make no difference when I leave this court because I trust the capability of Justice Khanna, He is so dignified that he will take over and run the court smoothly.
CJI said even in Bombay HC it was Justice Chagla’s overpowering presence that made a difference.
CJI said that it is this court which keeps me going ….we meet the people we possibly don’t know ….I conclude by thank you all of you and each one of you , I learnt so much about life today, there is no case similar to an earlier case, If I ever hurt anyone in the court , I would like to just please forgive me …thank you very much for coming in such large numbers! CJI said.
The Morning ceremony ended with a mixed reaction of banter and nostalgia.
CJI DY Chandrachud was part of 23 Constitution Bench judgements. His both sons Abhinav Chandrachud and Chintan Chandrachud practice in Mumbai.
A farewell function was organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) in the evening.
SCBA president Kapil Sibal said, when I started practice, there were just 5 Courts and one of them was Registrar Court.
Sibal also practised before his father Yeshwant Vishnu Chandrachud who was the the longest serving CJI for more than 7 years and judge for 13 years.
Justice Y V Chandrachud served as a judge from July 12, 1920 – July 14, 2008, and was the 16th Chief Justice of India, serving from February 22, 1978.
Sibal dedicated a poem to CJI DY Chandrachud:
CJI said, that during his childhood he remained quite sick for a long time. His mother would give him the medicine while reciting a shloka.
“Aushadam janhavitoyam vaidyo Narayano Harihi”, meaning “Medicine (aushadhi) should be considered as sacred as water from the River Ganges (Jahnvi), and that a doctor (vaidya) should be considered as a form of Lord Narayana.”
My father was very disciplined but he never disciplined us. He made sure that we learnt seeing him, The CJI said.
Creating an impact in the lives of common people makes us tick as Judges, he said.
The CJI said that nothing more pleases him than serving the people. Among my most satisfying judgements are- ‘ Visually Impaired getting selected in Rajasthan, IIT Mumbai daily wager child to get admission IIT Dhanbad – admission denied due to non-payment of Rs. 17,000/-Providing sign language interpreters to needy, CJI Said.
“You learn to be humble when you realize the vast knowledge of law and are confronted with challenges one faces by dealing with new areas of law, “Justice Chandrachud said.
Judges in the High Court who rose from District Judiciary had a wealth of experience.
My experience as CJ of Allahabad High Court changed my life forever.
I knew that I could not provide solutions to everything that was brought before me by SCBA and SCAORA.
I can at least give a patient hearing, CJI said.
Healing lies not in giving relief alone. It lies in giving a patient hearing, he said and added that nothing but the pursuit of justice, justified existence – I learnt such lessons from my Seniors, The CJI said.
Sunlight is the best disinfectant. Likewise, the more one is exposed to public life, we face a lot of criticism. This way we learn to deal with criticism and grow.
On the pendency of cases, Justice Chandrachud said that the 82,000 cases pending are not just the registered cases. It also includes unregistered cases. Pendency has come down by 10,000 cases.
I am sure all of you are aware of the amount that I have received as my share of trolling, I am probably one of the most trolled individuals and judges across the system. I will only say with a shayri …and the Shayri is ..
Mukhalift se meri shaksiat savarti hai, me dusmano ka bada ahtram karta hoo…
“मुखालिफ़त से मेरी शख़्सियत सँवरती है मैं दुश्मनों का बड़ा एहतिराम करता हूँ”
But in a lighter vein, I am just wondering what will happen from Monday, because all those who trolled me will be rendered unemployed, Justice Chndrachud said.
CJI Chandrachud’s recent comment sparked a controversy.
He had said that how he prayed to God for the solution to the Ayodhya Ram Mandir dispute.
He was part of the Supreme Court’s five Judge Constitutional bench which delivered the historic Ram Janam Bhoomi verdict.
The five judges who delivered the 2019 verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute were Then Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi, Justice S A Bobde (former CJI), Justice Ashok Bhushan (Former Supreme Court Judge and presently the Chairman of National Company Law Appellant Tribunal (NCLAT ) and Justice S Abdul Nazeer, Former Supreme Court Judge and presently the Governor of Andhra Pradesh.
CJI DY Chandrachud was also part of the Ayodhya judgement bench.
The bench’s unanimous verdict ruled in favor of constructing a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya.
The verdict also ordered the government to allot five acres of land to Muslims for building a mosque in Ayodhya
Justice Chandrachud confessed that he sought help from God to find a solution in the complex Ayodhya dispute.
“I sat before the deity and told him he needs to find a solution,” CJI Chandrachud said this while speaking at a private gathering while speaking to the residents of his native Kanhersar village in Khed taluka. He was emphasizing the importance of faith.
CJI DY Chandrachud while explaining the complexities involved in such cases said that there are instances when it becomes difficult to solve certain judicial cases.
Justice Chandrachud was thereafter criticized and trolled on social media for his comments.
Another controversy erupted earlier this year, when the photos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi performing arti and offering prayers to Lord Ganesha’s idol at his (CJI’s) residence were shared on social media.
Justice Sanjiv Khanna mentioned CJI Chandrachud’s love for samosas as well his disciplined lifestyle including waking up at 4 am and being a vegan. But he doesn’t eat anything during meetings.
He has hobbies like music, hiking, cricket etc. He can also write something to us,” Justice Khanna said.
“It would be difficult to fill his shoes, He made tasks easy as he has made so many advancements in technology and data, Justice Khanna said.
He has made my task difficult because it will be difficult to match up with him,” he said.
Justice Hrishikesh Roy, who happens to be the outgoing Chief Justice’s classmate, said, ” Four of us had joined together, referring to himself, Justices SK Kaul and Justices S Ravindra Bhat, all of whom had passed out from the Campus Law Centre in Delhi in 1982.
Justice PS Narasimha recalled memories of working with him, calling it an extraordinary experience.
“I had the opportunity to appear before him as a lawyer and had also had the opportunity to sit with him as a judge. It was extraordinary,” Justice Narasimha said.
CJI Chandrachud became emotional and wiped his tears with his handkerchief.
Justice Sanjiv Khanna to succeed Chief Justice Chandrachud and take over the charge as CJI on Monday
UNI
