On his last working day as the 50th Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud on Friday said that he was content with the judgments he delivered during his more than two-year tenure.
Delivering a message from the ceremonial bench, the CJI, who assumed office on November 9, 2022, said he acknowledged the reality that he would not be able to deliver justice from tomorrow.
The CJI described the role of judges as akin to pilgrims, who came to the Court each day with a commitment to serve, adding that they could either make or break cases.
The CJI paid tribute to the great judges who ‘adorned’ this court and ‘passed on the baton,’ adding that he felt reassured leaving the Bench in the capable hands of Justice Sanjiv Khanna, calling him an able leader.
Quoting the Jain phrase “Michhami Dukkadam,” which translated to “May all my misdeeds be forgiven,” the CJI said if he has ever hurt anyone in the court, he was seeking forgiveness for the same today.
Attorney General R Venkataramani said that recently in Brazil after the conference ended, everyone had started dancing. He sought permission from the CJI to let everyone dance on his retirement.
SG Tushar Mehta said the outgoing CJI maintained complete impartiality in the dispensation of justice. He said he was never hesitant in good or bad matters before the top judge of the country. The law officer said he may have won a few cases and lost many, but the CJI always took stand as the karta of the family. DYC would be missed dearly, he added.
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal called CJO Chandrachud an extraordinary son of an extraordinary father. He said the ever-smiling face of Dr Chandrachud would be etched forever. As a judge, his conduct was exemplary and the way he reached out to the communities, showed what their dignity meant to him.
He said CJI Chandrachud’s father dealt with the Apex Court when it was tumultuous, while he dealt with a situation, where the matters were tumultuous. There would be no one like CJI Chandrachud, adorning that chair ever again.
Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the CJI’s energy has only increased in the last 42 years. He exceeded the statute of patience and always managed to listen to the lawyers beyond time.
CJI Chandrachud introduced advanced technology in the Apex Court and did a lot for its modernisation. Singhvi said he earlier criticised the work which was going on for corridor AC and later praised the same. The CJI brought the lawyers and judges of Supreme Court closer to I-pads. He held many constitution benches, comprising seven and nine judges, and wrote exemplary judgments. The Senior Advocate further asked the CJI about the elixir of his youth.
Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi said in the CJI’s court, lawyers were heard totally. He said he met the CJI when Chandrachud was an ASG in Mumbai and Rohatgi was ASG in Delhi. He said they used to have lunch behind Apsara Pen Mart. Rohatgi said he hoped to again go on lunches with CJI Chandrachud. He further said he welcomed Justice Khanna, who was from his parent High Court. The last CJI from his parent High Court was Justice Sabharwal, 15 years ago, added Rohatgi.
ASG N Venkataraman said the temperament of CJI shall be known by five Cs – calm, cool, composed, neither critical, nor condemning. He said the CJI has been a record breaker, who did not carry success to his head.
ASG SV Raju said CJI Chandrachud would always be remembered through his verdicts and speeches, which were always thought-provoking.
Members of the bar, who had gathered to honour the outgoing CJI, described him as a ‘rock star’ of the judiciary.
Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who has been nominated as his successor and would be sworn in as the 51st Chief Justice of India on November 11, said he never had the chance to appear in Justice Chandrachud’s court, but what he has done for the marginalised and the needy was beyond compare.
He added a personal anecdote about Justice Chandrachud’s fondness for samosas, remarking that they were served in nearly every meeting, though the CJI himself refrained from eating them.
The tenure of CJI Chandrachud saw many changes within the court, from the establishment of Mitti Cafe, a facility empowering individuals with disabilities, to a dedicated bar room for women lawyers, alongside other beautification projects for the Supreme Court premises.
In his two-year term, the CJI authored a series of landmark judgments. He presided over the Constitution Bench upholding the revocation of Article 370, which redefined the politics of Jammu and Kashmir, ordering that elections be conducted by September 2024 and stressing the need to restore statehood “at the earliest and as soon as possible.”
In another significant judgement, CJI Chandrachud declined to alter the Special Marriage Act to recognise same-sex marriages, deferring to the legislature. However, he insisted on the right of the LGBTQ+ community to be treated with dignity, free from discrimination.
He also led the decision to dismantle the controversial electoral bonds scheme, mandating greater transparency in political financing and ordering the State Bank of India to cease issuing electoral bonds.