Supreme Court judge Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia on Friday lauded the top court of the country, saying that it encapsulated the true essence of the country through its inclusivity and diversity.
Speaking during his farewell address at the Ceremonial Bench, Justice Dhulia said what he would miss the most after retirement was not having this true essence of ‘Hindustan’ before him every morning.
He said the Apex Court was probably the only court in the country where cases came from all States and Union Territories of the nation. Lawyers came here from all corners and parts of India, giving it a truly diverse character.
The Apex Court judge said that he would also miss all the legal discussions he had, especially during the Constitution Bench hearings, which gave him a new vision to look at, as a judge.
He said the discussions reminded him of a book his teacher taught him in a Cinema Course at the National Film Archives of India. In the book, the protagonist Phillip was sent to Paris to learn painting. When he returned to his village after five years, his uncles asked him what he had learnt. He replied that he had learnt to look at a tree. To which his uncle said how was that anything different, he emphasised that he had learnt to look at the tree against the sky.
As per Justice Dhulia, the arguments made before him gave him a novel point of law, something he had not visualised before, which was the best gain he ever had.
The Ceremonial Bench was presided over by Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, and comprised of Justice Dhulia, Justice K Vinod Chandran and Justice NV Anjaria.
Justice Dhulia is due to retire on August 9. He was elevated to the Supreme Court on May 9, 2022. Earlier, he served as a judge of the Uttarakhand High Court. He was appointed as Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court in January 2021.
Attorney General R Venkataramani, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, SCAORA President Vipin Nair, ASG S Raju, and ASG Aishwarya Bhati also addressed the Ceremonial Bench.