Outgoing Chief Justice of India Uday Umesh Lalit on Monday recalled his two-month tenure at the helm of the Supreme Court, saying he had to a large extent fulfilled the promises he had made when he took over as CJI on August 27 this year. CJI Lalit will retire on November 8 but Monday was his last working day since the SC is shut on Tuesday on account of Guru Nanak Jayanti, a report in Bar and Bench said.
Speaking at the farewell function organised for him by the Supreme Court Bar Association, CJI Lalit highlighted that around 10,000 cases were disposed of in the last two months of his tenure.
“As I stand before you I remember some promises I made. I said I will try to streamline listing, see regular matters are listed, ease mentioning part and have one Constitution bench running. To certain extent, I have fulfilled them,” Bar and Bench quoted CJI Lalit as saying.
“Since I took over we disposed off 10,000 cases against a filing which was 8,700 and about 13,000 cases were disposed of which were lying in defects. So to certain extent we have taken a slice from the mounting arrears,” he further said.
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Justice UU Lalit was appointed by President Drupadi Murmu as the 49th CJI in August. He took oath on August 27, 2022. Justice Chandrachud will now take over as India’s 50th CJI.
Speaking at the event, CJI-designate Justice DY Chandrachud recalled the long association between his family and that of CJI Lalit.
“I want to share relationship between our families travel very long back in time. CJI Lalit’s father had worked as a junior in my father’s chamber in Mumbai,” Justice Chandrachud said.
Earlier in the day, speaking in the Supreme Court for the last time, CJI Lalit recounted his journey of nearly 37 years in the apex court, saying he enjoyed his stint both as a lawyer and a judge.
CJI Lalit said he began his stint in the top court by appearing before Justice Chandrachud’s father and 16th Chief Justice Yeshwant Vishnu Chandrachud.
“I have spent something like 37 years in this court. My journey in this court began through Court Number 1. I was practising in Bombay and then I came here to mention a case before CJI Y V Chandrachud,” PTI quoted CJI Lalit as saying.
“My journey began from this court and today it ends in the same court. The person before whom I mentioned the matter, he passed on the baton to subsequent Chief Justices. I now pass the baton to a very distinguished person and the son of that man himself. It is a beautiful occasion for me and I couldn’t have asked for anything greater than that,” CJI Lalit further said.
(With PTI inputs)