Orissa High Court Bids 'Teary Farewell' To Its 34th Chief Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh

The Orissa High Court on Friday (January 17) bid an emotional farewell to its Chief Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh before he demits office on Sunday (January 19). He remained at the helm of the Odisha Judiciary for about eleven months i.e. from February 07, 2024.The Full Court reference was presided over by Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo, Senior Judge of the High Court in the absence of senior-most puisne Judge and Acting Chief Justice-designate Justice Arindam Sinha. The event was attended by the Judges of the High Court and members of the Bar.Addressing the reference, Justice Sahoo paid gratitude to the outgoing Chief Justice for his astute leadership which positively transformed the Odisha Judiciary over the last eleven months. He acknowledged his contribution on the administrative side for renovation of the Judges' library, Convention Hall, laying foundation stone for new District Court Complex, Cuttack and Annex building of the High Court as well as for inauguration of state-of-art building of Centre for Judicial Archives and a number of new Courts, including the Judicial Court Complex at Bhubaneswar.An Empathetic & Amiable JudgeJustice Sahoo shared a number of anecdotes which portrayed the gracefulness of the retiring Chief Justice. Praising his compassionate nature, the Judge conveyed how the Chief Justice once visited an orphanage at Cuttack to interact with innocent children and to inspect the quality of services provided to them. During the visit, the Chief Justice was informed that the children were having no Aadhaar Card for which they were unable to seek admission in schools and were also deprived of other government facilities. As a result of his intervention, not only hundreds of children of that children home but also of other children homes got their Aadhaar Cards issued.He also informed the Bar members about swift action taken by the Chief Justice when he got to know about a theft and fire incident in the official residence of a female Judicial Officer posted at Athagarh, Cuttack. He personally visited the place and discussed with the district officials and directed enhanced security measures for judicial officers. Hailing his amicable nature with the members of the Bar, Justice Sahoo recalled how the Chief Justice once called an Advocate to his Chambers to express his apology and regret after losing temper on him in the Courtroom. Justice Sahoo praised the enigmatic personality and empathetic nature of Justice Singh which made him a popular figure in the state's judicial fraternity. While wishing the Chief Justice good luck for the next innings of his life, Justice Sahoo got teary-eyed and his voice could be heard choking. The grim faces of all other Judges were visible and senior Judge Justice Krushna Ram Mohapatra was seen wiping his tears. Similar thoughts were shared by Advocate General Pitambar Acharya, who tagged the Chief Justice as a true 'Karma Yogi'. DSGI Prasanna Kumar Parhi and Bijay Kumar Dash, President of High Court Bar Association showered words of praise and gratitude upon the retiring Judge. 'Juggernaut', 'Lord Jagannath' & OdishaIn his speech, the outgoing Chief Justice shared his tryst with the State of Odisha in an interesting anecdote. Being an enthusiast of English etymology, he had once searched for the literal meaning of the word 'juggernaut', which means 'massive inexorable force' and as per the Chamber's dictionary the word means “Jagannath as an incarceration of Lord Vishnu whose idol at Puri is traditionally drawn on a processional chariot”. He said that he was emotional while leaving his parent High Court to join Orissa High Court as Chief Justice. But after working in the State for about a year, he could feel the joint 'cushioning effects' of Lord Jagannath, love and affection of the members of the Bar and colleague Judges. He vehemently praised the richness of Odia language, the surreal literature and its profound poetic treasures. He expressed his deep love and admiration for Odia culture, tradition and diversity. The top Judge was also said to be stunned by the exquisite Odia handicrafts and Odissi dance. “The craftsmanship in silver filigree and stone carvings showcases the artistic skills of the local artisans which I would have certainly missed to feel had I not been sent to this great place as the Chief Justice,” he added.He thanked the members of the Bar for unwavering support and found the Senior Advocates of the Court to be outstanding. Being his own critic, he said –“As I look back to make a self-appraisal, I find the list of things which I missed to do is longer than [what] I could do. Further, no one is infallible. I too might have committed mistakes. I have a bad habit of losing my cool, though occasionally. My conduct must have hurt some of you. Please forgive me, as such outbursts are unintentional and spontaneous because of my own failure to maintain calm and composure.”Sharing his experience while conducting interviews of Advocates for...

Orissa High Court Bids 'Teary Farewell' To Its 34th Chief Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh

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