New Delhi: Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra said on Monday that Indian judiciary is the “most robust institution” in the world and has remained strong in the face of all attacks.
Justice Misra, who will retire as the CJI Tuesday, was speaking at the farewell function organised at the premises of the Supreme Court. He said that independence of justice shall always stand erect and any kind of craftsmanship can’t impact it.
“Our judiciary has been strongest judiciary in the world having capability to handle mind boggling number of cases,” he said. The outgoing CJI said, “Justice must have human face”.
He also tackled claims of discord among judges which was made public when four senior judges held an unprecedented press conference over allocation of cases in January, saying there is collegiality among the brother and sister judges of the Supreme Court.
“History can be sometimes kind, and unkind. I don’t judge people by their history but by their activities, perspective,” the CJI said.
“In my whole career as a judge, I never dissociated myself from the lady of equity,” Justice Misra said.
He said he was “wholly satisfied” with his tenure as the CJI, and if he ever wrote an autobiography it would be titled ‘No Antonians’ with the motto being, “No rhetoric but only hard work”.
“I am indebted to Bar at every level and go from here with satisfaction, he added.
He spoke after Chief Justice of India-Designate, Justice Ranjan Gogoi, praised him saying that his greatest contribution has been to civil liberties and cited his recent verdicts in this regard.
Justice Gogoi, who will be sworn-in as the CJI on Wednesday, said Justice Misra was a remarkable judge.
He said “if we fail in endeavour to hold true to our Constitutional ideals, we will continue to kill, hate each other”, and added that the judges in the Supreme Court are all committed and they will remain committed.
“We live in times when what we should eat, wear have stopped being little things of our personal lives,” Justice Gogoi said while addressing the farewell function for the CJI.