NEW DELHI: In an emotional farewell speech on his last working day on Friday, the outgoing Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, highlighted the impact judges can have on the lives of ordinary people through their judgments.
Justice Chandrachud stepped into the shoes of his illustrious father YV Chandrachud — who served as the longest CJI between 1978 and 1985 — on November 9, 2022 and will be demitting office on November 10.
Heading a ceremonial bench, also comprising CJI-designate Sanjiv Khanna, Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, which assembled to bid him farewell, the CJI expressed a deep sense of fulfilment.
He said there was no greater feeling than being able to serve those in need. “What makes us tick as judges is the impact that we have on the lives of common citizens,” the CJI said, adding, “We are here as pilgrims, birds for short passage of time... but our work can leave a mark...”
He also pointed out that he was being criticised from several quarters in recent times. “I am probably one of the most trolled individuals and judges across the system. I just wonder, from Monday, what will happen to those who troll me? They will be rendered unemployed,” the CJI said.
On criticism of the collegium’s meetings, the CJI said, “We sit through the collegium making tough choices, never had a difference of opinion, all meetings were with a sense of humour, but we remember that we are not with any personal agenda but to serve the institution’s interest.”
Chandrachud said that Supreme Court had been a Chief Justice-centric court. “The registry looks to one person, the Chief Justice. I thought that had to change. I experimented with constituting committees. And my experience was remarkable,” he said.
Aiming to bring greater transparency to the court’s processes, the CJI said that he implemented a system to publicly display data on all pending cases in the Supreme Court.