Supreme Court judge and Chief Justice of India-designate Justice BR Gavai has showered praise on former CJI Justice NV Ramana for his contribution to the judiciary and his vision in making justice accessible to the people.
Calling Justice Ramana a people’s CJI, Justice Gavai said he was one of the first Chief Justices of India who broke the ice of judges being isolated from the public.
Speaking during the launch of the book Narratives off the Bench: A Judge Speaks, a collection of speeches delivered by Justice Ramana on Wednesday, Justice Gavai said the former CJI believed in going to the people and meeting them.
Justice Gavai, who is scheduled to take oath as the 52nd CJI on May 14, following the superannuation of incumbent CJI Justice Sanjiv Khanna on May 13, said he shared three commonalities with former CJI Ramana and another Supreme Court judge, Justice Surya Kant: All three came from a rural background, belonged to agricultural families, and were first-generation lawyers.
The CJI-designate appreciated the vision of Justice Ramana, stating that he was a firm believer of diversity and inclusiveness.
He also recalled a special moment during the tenure of former CJI Ramana. For the first time in the history of the Supreme Court of India, nine judges took oath at one go in 2021, said Justice Gavai.
One of the judges sworn on that day, Justice BV Nagarathna, was in line to become the first woman Chief Justice of India, he added.
The CJI-designate said Justice Ramana was a true human being, very loving and caring. He was a man full of empathy, humanity, sympathy and compassion, all of which reflected in his judgments and the speeches included in the book.
Supreme Court judges Justice Surya Kant and Justice Vikram Nath were present on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, Justice Ramana said the book was not a commentary on legal doctrines but a compilation of his thoughts that he had shared through various public speeches.
He said the book reflected his observations and inner dialogues of many years.
The former CJI further said that he has tried to crystallise his experiences as a student leader, journalist, trade union activist, lawyer, and judge into words.
The judiciary was not a mere adjudicator of disputes. It was a symbol of constitutional morality and one of the last remaining spaces of hope for the common man, he added.
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