From the day I joined the bench, I was subjected to conspiratorial scrutinies, said Chief Justice of India N V Ramana, who is all set to demit office today, while giving his farewell address on Friday.
“From the date I joined the bench till I reached the highest possible position in the judiciary, I was subjected to conspiratorial scrutinies. My family and I suffered in silence. But ultimately, the truth will always prevail. Satyameva Jayate,” said Chief Justice of India N V Ramana, while addressing at the farewell function organised by Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA).
He further highlighted the need for Indianisation of the Indian legal system and localising justice delivery. “The need of the hour is the Indianisation of our legal system. When I say Indianisation, I mean the need to adapt to the practical realities of our society and localise our justice delivery system,” said Ramana.
He further added that in the past 75 years, our jurisprudence system has evolved considerably. Our judiciary is not defined by a single order or decision. “Yes, at times, it fell short of people’s expectations. But most of the times, it has championed the cause of the people,” the CJI said.
The CJI said that during his tenure, he pushed for modernisation of judicial infrastructure as a means for providing access to justice.
“I also tried to highlight the difference between arrears and backlogs to put things in perspective. ‘Arrears’ refer to delays that are unwarranted,” He added.
The CJI also said, “Every delay is not an arrear. Some cases of delay might be due to valid reasons. On the other hand, ‘backlogs’ refer to situations where the number of cases instituted in a period is more than the number of cases disposed of in the same period.”
Describing the challenges he faced since the very early days of his life and thanking those who guided him all through it, he narrated, “You know where I started, a small village in Andhra Pradesh, first time I saw electricity was when I was 12. We used to go to school walking on muddy roads. I am indebted to all my gurus, teachers and professors.”
“I embraced all the challenges and understood every failure got teachings with it,” said the CJI.
Justice Uday Umesh Lalit will assume charge as CJI on August 27, a day after Justice NV Ramana demits office as the CJI. Justice Lalit will have a brief tenure as he will demit office on November 8 after holding the charge as the CJI for a little under three months.
Justice Lalit will be the second CJI who was directly elevated to the apex court Bench from the Bar.
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