Morally Bankrupt, Unscrupulous And Degenerate Detractors Tried To Sabotage Career; Indian Judiciary Needs Principled And Visionary Leader: Retiring MP Chief Justice Malimath

During his farewell speech on Friday, Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court Justice Ravi Malimath said that he chose to serve the Constitution instead of the congregation and it took him nowhere in his career. He said that the multiple transfers in his career were meant to rattle him. 

He said that though he could name those who were targeting him, the "morally bankrupt, unscrupulous and degenerate" are not worth discussing and are not worth his time.

Justice Malimath expressed hope that the Indian judiciary will get a "principled and visionary" leader one day. He said that there are many cases that can be heard which can cause a real difference to the people, and that such cases may not be headline-hitting cases.  

Justice Malimath was appointed an additional judge of the Karnataka High Court in February 2008. He was transferred as a Judge of the Uttarakhand High Court in March 2020. He was appointed as the Acting Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court in July 2020. He was transferred to the Himachal Pradesh High Court in January 2021. He was elevated and transferred as the Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court on October 14, 2021. 

"There's nothing more that the Chief Justice can ever hope for. It gives me unparalleled joy. Cases pending for 61 years, buildings pending for 16 years, I could have done nothing. I could have let the status quo continue. Cases would remain pending for 61 more years. Buildings would have continued to remain under construction forever. It would have made no difference to my life as the Chief Justice, you always have a choice. Do you serve the Constitution or do you serve the congregation? Serving the Constitution takes you nowhere on a personal level, apart from giving you the satisfaction of having done the right thing. Serving the congregation, on the other hand, can get you to places", the Judge said.

The judge began by highlighting his achievements as the Chief Justice of the MP High Court. 

Regarding the transfers in his career, Justice Malimath said, "I was transferred from Karnataka to Uttarakhand to be made the Chief Justice there. I was not. I was then transferred from Uttarakhand to Himachal Pradesh to be made a Chief Justice there. I was not. I was then finally elevated as the Chief Justice of the High Court of Madhya Pradesh. These transfers were expected to rattle me, but they did not. I did the opposite. I have made long lasting contributions in each of these places, including my short four to five months stint as the Acting Chief Justice of Uttarakhand  as well Himachal Pradesh". 

"There are people who have spent months and years trying to negatively affect my career. They have failed miserably because I have undertaken what no other Chief Justice or judge in the country has been able to undertake. They will never be able to rival my accomplishments, no matter how hard they try.  I urge them now to focus more on their own lives, instead of on mine.  I can say a lot at this juncture. I can give names and make this the centre of attention for the tabloids. I am sure my detractors are also worried and watching with a lot of trepidation about what I might say at my farewell. However, the morally bankrupt, unscrupulous and degenerate are not worth discussing. They are certainly not worth my time", the Judge said.

Justice Malimath also said, "I chose to serve the Constitution. I chose to do the right thing even at my own cost because that is what is expected of a judge and that is what is expected of a Chief Justice. That is what is expected of a man with values, that is what distinguishes a man or a woman from an animal. Principles precede positions. This is an adage that I live by. I chose to serve the nine crore people of Madhya Pradesh over the 9 or 90 odd people who wanted to use the Court for their personal benefits. During my tenure here multiple people have tried to influence the workings of this Court. I have kept each and every single one of them away, only for the sake of the institution. Given a choice, I will do it again, and again and again".  

In what appears to be a reference to the Chief Justice of India and the functioning of the Supreme Court, Justice Malimath said, "Judiciary can reach new heights, provided it has a good leader. It needs a principled man and or woman who can lead by example. We gave enough titular heads. There are so many things that can be accomplished by such a person. Pendencies to begin with. Pendencies are not solved by dialogues or discussions or seminars. They are solved by practical measures. It is extremely difficult. It involves a lot of hard work. But, it needs to be done and I have done so here at Madhya Pradesh. India is grappling with multiple concerns. There are so many cases that can be taken up, that can cause a real difference to the crores of people in the country. For instance, labor cases. They may not be headline-hitting cases, but are infinitely more crucial. There are so many things a principled and a visionary leader can do for this country. I do hope the Indian judiciary gets such a leader one day".