New Delhi: The Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud on Wednesday said the legal power is not enough for a judge and the stronger tool is the desire of the judge to understand human life.
Reciting a few lines from a ghazal made popular by late singer Jagjit Singh, the CJI said there is a vast body of literature on how judges must decide and what goes into legal decision-making in general. Speaking at a function organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) to felicitate newly appointed judges- Justices Satish Chandra Sharma, Augustine George Masih, Sandeep Mehta and Prasanna B Varale- Chandrachud said with their elevation, the apex court is once again operating at its maximum mandated strength of 34.
The CJI said the legal power is not enough for a judge and the stronger tool is their desire to understand human life. He said the journeys of Justices Sharma, Masih, Mehta, and Varale demonstrate their commitment to human lives, and improving it with the help of our laws. “While the knowledge of the law and the context of its enactment…. it is ultimately the understanding of people's problems that makes us better…”, he said.
“I believe decision-making is somewhat like, to borrow the words of a distinguished scholar, riding a bicycle. If you are teetering out of control, it is unlikely that a complicated theory will help you restore the balance...”, said the CJI.
Justice Chandrachud said that in the moments of imbalance, “we are unlikely to find solutions in very complicated, theoretical statements of the law or policy”. The stabilising influence in such moments of crisis is often a very simple idea of justice, he added.
The CJI said the strength of a simple idea lies in the fact that it comes from the vast experience of a judge as a lawyer, as a student of law, and as a discerning, observing member of the society. Concluding his speech, the CJI said he would like to welcome the four judges to the Supreme Court, “in what has come to become my tradition for events at the Bar. I would like to conclude with these lines this time from a ghazal from legendary Jagjit Singh: 'Tere aane ki jab khabar mehke, teri khusboo se saara ghar mehke'.”.
Citing the judges’ elevation to the apex court, the CJI said with their elevation, the Supreme Court is operating again at its maximum mandated strength. Even more importantly, it has the occasion of benefiting from the diversity of their experiences as lawyers, judges, and as students of the law, he said.
Attorney-General R Venkataramani lauded the appointment of 15-16 judges during CJI’s tenure, and said, “the court is now not only full, but full in more than one sense." SCBA President Adish C Aggarwala also expressed his appreciation, attributing the credit to the CJI and other collegium members for discovering such talented judges.
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