‘Judge of common man’ Justice Veerappa retires, gets fond farewell

BENGALURU: The Bar and Bench of the Karnataka High Court on Wednesday bid an affectionate farewell to Justice B Veerappa, who is known as a judge of the common man, on his retirement. 

Abolition of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) established by the then Congress government in the state, while restoring the powers of the Prevention of Corruption Act with the Lokayukta, is a feather in the cap for Justice Veerappa, who headed the Bench that delivered the verdict.

At the farewell address, Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale acknowledged it, and said Justice Veerappa’s contribution to the judiciary will always be fondly remembered.   

Justice Veerappa, from Nagedenahalli village in Srinivasapura taluk of Kolar, set a new record in the country by taking steps to dispose of the highest number of pre-litigation and pending cases, as chairman of the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority (KSLSA). 

Justice Veerappa is instrumental in the state government declaring a 50 per cent rebate on traffic fines, 
which fetched crores of rupees in revenue to the state’s exchequer. He delivered many landmark judgments over his tenure of eight years and five months.

Justice Veerappa, who served the judiciary for over three decades as a lawyer, government advocate and judge, said his service has given him immense pleasure and satisfaction. “We judges and lawyers should pledge to remove corruption and protect the confidence reposed in the judiciary by the public,” he said, adding that a major threat is mounting and long-delayed cases. 

Noting that legal awareness programmes conducted through KSLSA have given him tremendous satisfaction, he said that in all, 1.08 crore cases were disposed of through six Lok Adalats held during his tenure. “My experience as a judge was most pleasant. I request all my ‘judicial soldiers’ (officials) to continue to perform effectively,” he said. 

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