During his speech at the farewell function arranged by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), the outgoing Chief Justice DY Chandrachud said that his shoulders are broad enough to accept criticism. He said that he might be one of the most trolled judges and that all those who troll him will be unemployed from Monday.

The new Chief Justice will take charge on Monday as CJI Chandrachud's term comes to an end on Sunday.

"I am sure all of you are aware of the amount of trolling I have received. I am probably one of the most trolled individuals and judges across the system. I will only say a shairy- मुख़ालिफ़त से मिरी शख़्सियत सँवरती है, मैं दुश्मनों का बड़ा एहतिराम करता हूँ", the CJI said during his speech.

"But on a lighter vein, I am just wondering what will happen from Monday. Because all those who troll me will be rendered unemployed", he said.

Justice Chandrachud has recently been facing criticism from some Senior Advocates and retired Judges after he invited Prime Minister Modi to his house for a televised Ganpati Puja and in the wake of his recent remarks that his deity helped him find a solution in the Ayodhya Case.

"Some of the changes we have made are in pursuance of my strong belief that sunlight is the best disinfectant. I know in so many which ways, I have exposed my own personal life to public knowledge. And when you expose your own life to public knowledge, you expose yourself to criticism, particularly in today's age of social media. But so be it. My shoulders are broad enough to accept all the criticism that we have faced", the outgoing CJI said.

He added that the Bar has responded with tremendous support in all the initiatives that were taken during his term.

In a recent interview, CJI Chandrachud had defended his aforesaid remarks about the Judgment in the Ayodhya Case. He had also said that judicial independence is not merely independence from the Government, but also from interest groups and pressure groups which use media to put pressure on the Court to arrive at certain outcomes.

During his farewell speech, Justice Chandrachud said that he has learned from his colleagues from the District Judiciary who had a wealth of experience in law in motion, since they had a better understanding of the society. "As you go higher and higher into the judiciary, you become separated from and isolated from the real strata of society for whom you are intended to do justice", he said.

He said that he learned a lot during his stint as the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court. "In the simplicity of Allahabad, the simplicity of the lawyers, the warmth of the judges who didn't have the artificiality, the sophistication that larger cities bring, I learned a great deal of life in the heartland of India, which Uttar Pradesh is. I travelled across the length and breadth of Uttar Prades, made great friends on the Bench. Allahabad just taught me such a great amount", he said.

He said that he could once introduce 117 judges of the Allahabad High Court to the then CJI by name and that he had taken extra effort to remember all of their names.

He stressed on the importance of giving a patient hearing to parties. He said, "Supreme Court once called a very distinguished Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court- we are not night errands, we are governed by law. But you realise that the healing in a Court lies in your ability to hear. Your healing in Court does not lie in your ability to grant relief. Lawyers know where the balance of a matter lies. Most lawyers accept that this is a difficult case, if they succeed, they are happy, probably the judge blinked a little or hadn't read the brief as well as the judge should have".

The CJI also spoke about the pendency and disposal of cases during his term in the Supreme Court.

Before the Ceremonial Bench of the Supreme Court today morning, Senior Advocate and SCBA President praised CJI Chandrachud saying that his conduct as a Judge was exemplary, which cannot be matched by anyone.

Chief Justice DY Chandrachud

Verdictum News Desk