VIJAYAWADA: Outgoing Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court Justice JK Maheshwari called upon his fellow judges and the staff of the High Court to strive for the betterment of the institution, and uphold its dignity.
Addressing the full bench of the High Court and several of its functionaries at the farewell programme, Justice Maheshwari, who has been transferred to Sikkim High Court as its Chief Justice, attributed his success as the first CJ of the AP High Court post bifurcation to the cooperation of his fellow judges.
Describing the AP High Court as a prestigious institution, Justice Maheshwari said he strives for enhancing its image and prestige with help of all his colleagues. He emphasised that one should make a mark and leave a footstep for others to follow.
Stating that he came from a middle class family with a village background, he said he was not born intelligent and never aspired to be one, but he believed in hard work and to be diligent.
“We did not make any effort to change the existing traditions, but only strived to enrich them,” Justice Maheshwari said.
Hailing the cooperation from the registry, he recalled the contribution of incharge registrar B Rajasekhar, who passed away due to Covid-19. He described Rajasekhar as a very intelligent man.
Being a new state, Andhra Pradesh will have several challenges, he said and urged his brother and sister judges to think in the right direction and proceed as per their wisdom. He thanked his staff for working with him from morning 9 to night 10.
“People like me will come and go, but the action and contribution for the institution needs to leave a mark, to be remembered,” he said. Justice Maheshwari became emotional at the end of his speech and observed parting is always painful. He thanked everyone for their affection and cooperation.
High Court judges Justice C Praveen Kumar, Justice U Durga Prasad Rao and others hailed the efforts of Justice Maheswari for strengthening the institution.
Later, they felicitated Justice Maheswari. Earlier in the day, Justice Joymalya Bagchi was sworn in as a judge of the High Court by Chief Justice JK Maheshwari. He was administered the oath of office at the first court hall.