“I am, probably, one of the most trolled judges… and, in a lighter vein, am wondering what will happen from Monday?!” said Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, who resigned today, in a subtle jab at his numerous trolls. Everyone who made fun of me will lose their jobs.
It is true that the departing Chief Justice was the target of multiple troll attacks while in office, including one in which he was criticised for moving around in his chair to ease back pain. He claimed that “vicious abuse… trolling (and) the knives were out.” had been directed at him.
He laughed and said, “But my shoulders are broad enough…”
Today, the two-year tenure of Chief Justice Chandrachud, who took office on November 9, 2022, came to an end. He reflected on his time in office as he did so, delivering a number of historic rulings, such as the electoral bonds case and challenges to the government’s decision to repeal Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.
He asserted, however, that the demanding and prominent nature of the job never damaged his friendly relationships with other judges. “Every meeting was joyful and full of laughter, despite the fact that we frequently had to make difficult decisions. Our lack of personal agendas was the most important factor.
His statement was, “We were there to serve the interests of the institution.”
He gave the example of a Dalit student whose father, who works as a daily wage worker, barely missed the deadline for paying fees to get his son admitted to the esteemed IIT in Dhanbad, Jharkhand. The institution declared the son’s seat forfeit.
Before going to the Supreme Court, the father spent three months circling the Jharkhand and Madras High Courts as well as the SC/ST Commission. A bench led by the departing Chief Justice promptly ordered the boy to be admitted into the offered class.
The petitioner’s counsel told the court the student’s father earns Rs 450 daily and the demand of paying Rs 17,500 at short notice was obviously a difficult proposition. “All the best. The Chief Justice told the boy from the Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh, “Achha kariye” (Do well).
He stated today that such incidents underscore the value of being receptive to new information, circumstances, and cases—a luxury that solicitors do not have, as they have the option to turn down certain cases.
The departing Chief Justice recalled his time at the Allahabad High Court when he remarked, “The importance of the bar is also known only then… every day we learn new knowledge and new methods.”
The departing Chief Justice mentioned his strict father as well.
“He bought a small flat in Pune. “Keep that flat till you retire as a judge… so you know that if your moral integrity is to be compromised,” he told me when I asked him why, even though he acknowledged that he knew he would remain there. You will always have a place to live.”
When he reflected on his career, he said that judges are like pilgrims who come to court every day with the intention of serving. His words, “The work we do can make or break cases,” He praised Justice Sanjiv Khanna as an able leader and paid tribute to the “great judges who have adorned this court and passed on the baton,” adding that he felt reassured leaving the bench in his capable hands.
“I never had the chance to appear in Justice Chandrachud’s court, but what he has done for the marginalised and the needy is beyond compare,” said Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who has been nominated as his successor and will take the oath of office as India’s 51st Chief Justice on November 11.