Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna on Friday described Justice Hrishikesh Roy who retires today as a compassionate, reasonable and practical judge, possessing exceptional legal acumen and knowledge.
Speaking during the ceremonial bench proceedings at Courtroom no. 1 of the Supreme Court, the CJI said that Justice Roy’s unwavering commitment to justice and sense of compassion reflected in all his judgments.
He managed to strike a perfect balance between his official work and his love for sports, music and books. The CJI further said that he has known Justice Roy as a colleague for the past six years. During dinners, Justice Roy shared his stories of partition, as well as books from his library.
Speaking during the farewell ceremony, Senior Advocate and President of the Supreme Court Bar Association Kapil Sibal lauded Justice Roy’s humane approach to the law.
Speaking about Justice Roy’s initiatives during the Assam floods, he said Justice Roy helped people in getting relief during the Assam floods. He said Justice Roy spoke to the deaf and dumb people in their sign language and would even walk to the juniors feeling alone in parties.
Sibal further said the court would miss Justice Roy’s old-school charm for years to come. He added that the Apex Court judge was also known for his boldness.
Justice Sanjay Kumar shared insights into Justice Roy’s sporting achievements, recalling his days as a hockey champion and footballer at Delhi Public School. He recounted a legendary match where DPS defeated Modern School, largely due to Justice Roy’s skill. Justice Kumar also noted that in recent years, Justice Roy has taken up golf with enthusiasm.
Justice Roy’s passion for theatre and arts was widely acknowledged. Justice Kumar mentioned that, during his years as a lawyer, Justice Roy directed plays. As a judge, whenever he goes for plays and art events, he takes his law clerks also along, Justice Kumar said. Additionally, he was known for his love of books and frequently gifted them to friends.
Reflecting on his journey, Justice Roy reminisced about his first appearance before the Supreme Court in 1982, which was before the then CJI YV Chandrachud to request for a pass-over. “To my great horror, I was saying Passover, no sound was coming, my vocal cords froze. That was my first appearance. I am sure this is how all of us have learnt,” Justice Roy remembered.
He said that as a young lawyer, he used to feel great happiness when his name appeared in court proceedings and that is the reason why as a judge, he ensures that the junior lawyers’ names are also recorded in the records.
“I hope in my 23 years of career I did justice….Finally as I exit from court 1, I hope my parents feel that I fulfilled their expectations,” Justice Roy said.
Justice Hrishikesh Roy was born on 1st February 1960. He obtained his LL.B Degree from Campus Law Centre, University of Delhi in 1982. On 21.12.2004, he was designated as Senior Advocate, by the Gauhati High Court.
Justice Roy was sworn-in as an Additional Judge of Gauhati High Court on 12.10.2006 and served as permanent Judge with effect from 15.07.2008. In August 2018, Justice Roy was appointed as the Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court. He was elevated to the Supreme Court on September 23, 2019.
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