Justice must have human face, says CJI Dipak Misra
Cjidesignate Justice Gogoi says what we wear, eat are no longer little things, and failure to uphold constitutional ideals will mean ‘we’ll continue to kill, hate each other’
NEW DELHI: The outgoing Chief Justice of India, Dipak Misra, said India’s judiciary is one of the most robust and strongest institutions in the world, even in the face of attacks and in troubled times. “Our judges are ahead of their counterparts in other parts of the world,” he added, referring to their ability to deal with complex issues.
Justice Misra, India’s 45th chief justice, has presided over several important cases , and been part of benches that have delivered important judgments – decriminalising homosexuality, ruling that privacy is a fundamental right, establishing the constitutional validity of Aadhaar even while protecting the rights of individuals, and allowing women of all ages to enter Sabarimala.
Referring to some of these, Justice Misra’s successor, Ranjan Gogoi, who takes over on October 3, said he will continue in the footsteps of a judge who has played a part in settling several challenging cases.
“I believe that profound constitutional questions can rarely be separated from the political salient issues of the times. In
History can be sometimes kind, and unkind... In my whole career as a judge, I never dissociated myself from the lady of equity. JUSTICE DIPAK MISRA, Outgoing CJI
fact, it is precisely in times like this that the resilience of our commitments are tested,” he said.
Personal beliefs and tastes must be constantly evaluated on the touchstone of constitutional morality and that is true patriotism to the Constitution, justice Gogoi added. Both the CJI and he were speaking at the farewell ceremony organised for the former by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) .
“It is perhaps right to suggest that we live in times of great political churning across the world. Today, alongside a huge diversity of thought and opinion, there coexist conflicting world views. We are divided, perhaps more than ever, by lines of castes, class, gender and religion” said justice Gogoi.