"Our System & Practices, Being Colonial In Origin, May Not Be Best Suited For Indian Population" : Full Text Of CJI NV Ramana's Farewell Speech

I am searching for words to adequately express my gratitude for the good words spoken about me by all.I am very happy to see all my well-wishers friends and family members who have travelled with me for many long years. You all have taken trouble to reach this place to bid farewell to me. I thank each and every one of you for assembling here and for showering your blessings on me and my family.You all know where I started. My life's journey began in a remote village called Ponnavaram in the Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh where electricity, roads and basic amenities were not available. First time I saw electricity when I was 12 years old. I learnt the alphabets in English around the same time. We used to reach school walking on muddy roads, across the fields and crossing streams. With a lot of struggle, and hard work I have come up in life. For this, I thank my first gurus, that is, my parents and the teachers in various government schools.I am indebted to all my teachers and lecturers because the essence of education that they had given to me was helpful not only for the purpose of acquiring academic knowledge but also helped in providing necessary moral strength and courage to face any calamity in life. This arduous journey finally brought me to Delhi.This long journey is marked by many experiences, most of which are sour rather than sweet. At the young age of 17, I could lead a trade union of around 10,000 workers. At the same time, I could also lead students, farmers and employees. I was immersed in so many agitations and struggles. I have also suffered on account of the Emergency excesses. In fact, I lost an academic year on this count. Confronting problems, and resolving issues, is not something new to me. This period enabled me to interact with persons of varying ideologies and broadened my horizons. They taught me as to how to live in isolation, in an environment where you cannot express or share your thoughts on any of the issues.I witnessed the resilience of human existence, the power of human struggles, dignity in poverty and most importantly unshakable hope and faith. Through these ordinary everyday experiences, I developed the extraordinary passion of serving the people.Being a first-generation lawyer, I have faced many challenges in my life and realized that except hard work there is no shortcut to success. The journey of struggle and bitter experiences in my career helped me to diversify my activities. I had the opportunity of defending the State in several cases. I watched the important events of this country unfolding from close quarters. I always accepted rejection as God's redirection and retained my honesty and integrity. I want every advocate to remember that sometimes life scares you, and beats you up, but there is a day when you realize that you are not just a survivor, you are a warrior. You are tougher than anything that is thrown your way. My professional life was also full of challenges.To begin with, I was in two minds- to be a judge or to be among the people to offer leadership. I believe in destiny, in God and the blessings of the Almighty. It has been the honour of my life to be elevated as a Judge. I accepted it with all humility. I always remembered myself, while functioning as a Judge, of my privileged obligation to discharge services to this great society. Once I became a Judge, I gave my heart and mind to it.From the date I joined bench till I reached the highest possible position in the judiciary, I was subjected to conspiratorial scrutinies. My family and I suffered in silence. But ultimately, the truth will always prevail. Satyameva Jayate.At this juncture, I am reminded of the words of Martin Luther King, Jr.:"The ultimate measure of man is not where he stands in the moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy"Anything and everything that I could achieve were only after facing a lot of struggle, setbacks and hardships in life. I have embraced all the challenges that came my way and strengthened myself and understood that every failure carried with it a seed of equivalent advantage.I never claimed myself to be a scholarly judge or a great judge, but I have always believed that the ultimate purpose of justice delivery system is to provide justice to the common man.I have elaborated in my earlier speeches as to how difficult the life of a Judge is. Your health also gets ruined in the process. Only Judges and lawyers understand this aspect of a Judge's life. It is for you lawyers to explain to the people of hard work involved in a judge's life.In the last 75 years, our jurisprudence has evolved considerably. Our judiciary is not defined by a single order or decision. Yes, at times, it fell short of peoples' expectations. But most of the times, it has championed the cause of the people. It was widely predicted that with A.K. Gopalan, the due process of law was history. But, this Court, in the case of Maneka Gandhi...

"Our System & Practices, Being Colonial In Origin, May Not Be Best Suited For Indian Population" : Full Text Of CJI NV Ramana's Farewell Speech

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