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Supreme Court judge Justice Sanjay Karol, on his last working day, said judges are not gods and must recognise the limits of their own judgment while ensuring that they see the person behind every case and not merely the petition before them.

“We, as judges, are not gods. I only speak about myself. And we will not get every judgment right. What was always in our hands was simpler – to see the person, not just the petition,” Justice Karol said during the ceremonial bench at the Supreme Court held in his honour.

“The Constitution does not make us merely to apply the law correctly. It asks us to apply it justly. That is perhaps why the responsibility of judging has always seemed larger to me than simply deciding who is legally right. We, as judges, are not Gods. I only speak about myself. And we will not get every judgment right. What was always in our hands was simpler to see the person, not just the petition.”

He stressed that judging requires humility and is not limited to deciding who is legally right. A petition may contain the facts of a case but cannot fully convey what a person has lost or what they seek from the court.

He emphasized that the Constitution requires judges not merely to apply the law correctly but to apply it justly.

He added, “To my friends at the bar, I would say this in a very real sense. Each of us is called upon to be a judge every day of our own choices, of our own conduct, of our own use of power. Wherever it is so, it is happening. Every day presents us with a cause, a list of small choices, whether to forgive and forget, whether to pause and reason before we react, and whether to treat others with dignity. There may be courtrooms, no roads, no judgment to pronounce, but in these small choices, each of us distances a measure of justice every day. And that is why we always say a judge is a judge 24-7, even after the sitting is over. Our fundamental duties remind us that constitutional rule is not something to be demanded only from the state.”

He described “dharma” as a useful way of understanding this duty, meaning the responsibility to ensure that even a person who is small or voiceless is seen and heard by the institution.

Justice Karol said the Supreme Court's importance lies not only in deciding major constitutional questions but also in giving an ordinary citizen the belief that someone will listen. He said courts must also remain conscious of those who cannot reach them because justice may be too distant, expensive, intimidating or slow.

Reflecting on his 40 years in court, first as an advocate and later as a judge, Justice Karol said the height of the Supreme Court bench, which appeared imposing to him when he first entered Courtroom No. 1 as a young lawyer in 1986, ultimately came to represent responsibility, dignity and humility rather than authority. He also spoke about the silence in courtrooms and said a judge must listen not only to arguments but also to what people seek in the spaces between their words.

Justice Karol thanked the Bar, his colleagues, court staff, litigants and family for supporting him through his career. He urged young lawyers not to be intimidated by the bench and to value fairness, preparation, courtesy and principle over personal advantage.

“To the young members of the bar, do not be overawed by this bench. Do not be frightened into silence. I have said this before, and I will say it again on my way out. Those of you who stand up and argue, even modestly, even imperfectly, are doing exactly what this institution needs. To believe in this profession, live the constitution, don't cite it. There's another bar, in a sense, which never addresses us, but without whom no court could function”, he said.

He also remarked that constitutional values must be practiced in daily conduct and not merely demanded from the State. He emphasized that the constitutional promise is tested not only in major cases but also through ordinary choices and how people treat one another.

Justice Karol concluded saying that he leaves the bench with no regrets and with gratitude for having served the Constitution and the people.

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