I Was Keen On Joining Active Politics, But Destiny Desired Otherwise : Chief Justice of India NV Ramana

Chief Justice of India NV Ramana revealed on Saturday that he was keen on joining active politics, but destiny had a different thing in store for him."I was keen on joining active politics, but destiny desired otherwise. The decision to give up something for which I had worked so hard was not easy at all", he said. The CJI also added that he never regretted being a judge."On a personal note, yes, the opportunity to serve as a Judge came with tremendous challenges but I have never regretted a single day. It is definitely not a service but a calling", he said.He was delivering the inaugural 'Justice S B Sinha Memorial Lecture' on "Life of a Judge" being organised by National University of Study & Research in Law, Ranchi.During the lecture, he recounted his journey as follows :"I was born in a family of farmers in a village. English was introduced when I was in the 7th or 8th standard. Passing 10th grade was considered a great achievement. After obtaining a BSc degree, encouraged by my father, I finally ended up with a degree in law.I began my practice in a magistrate court in Vijayawada for a few months. Once again, encouraged by my father, I moved to Hyderabad to begin my practice in the High Court of Andhra Pradesh. It was definitely a leap of faith for me.By the time I received the offer for judgeship, I had established a good practice. I had appeared from Taluq level courts to the Supreme Court in several high profile matters. I was also appointed as the Additional Advocate General of my State. I was keen on joining active politics, but destiny desired otherwise. The decision to give up something for which I had worked so hard, was not easy at all".The CJI said that over the years, he built his career and life around people. But after joining the bench, one has to give up his social connections. "Over the years, I had built my career and life around the people. But, I knew, if one chooses to cross over to the other side of the bar and join the bench, one has to give up all his social connections. For years together, the life of judge is spent in isolation and social alienation", he said.Life of a judge is not easyIn the speech, the CJI also said that the life of a judge is not easy, as is often perceived by many members of the public. The CJI said that the judges work even on weekends and holidays and miss out many joys of the life, including important family functions."At times, I wonder if my grandchildren would recognise me at all after failing to see them for days together", the CJI said."It is not easy to prepare for more than 100 cases every week, listen to novel arguments, do independent research, and author judgments, while also dealing with the various administrative duties of a Judge, particularly of a senior judge. A person who has no connection with the profession cannot even imagine the number of hours that go into preparation. We spend many hours reading the paper-books and making notes for matters listed the next day. Preparation for the next day begins soon after the court rises, and will go on beyond mid-night on most days. We continue to work even during weekends and Court holidays to do research and author pending judgments. In this process, we miss out on many joys of our lives. Sometimes, we miss out on important family events. At times, I wonder if my grandchildren would recognise me at all after failing to see them for days together."Therefore, when false narratives are created about the supposed easy life led by Judges, it is difficult to swallow", the CJI said.In his speech, the CJI touched upon important issues such as need to ensure proper judicial infrastructure, the problems created by media trial in judicial administration, the importance of judicial review in protection Constitution, future challenges of judiciary etc.The full text of the speech is given below :"At the outset, I would like to congratulate the Judiciary of Jharkhand which is marking the Golden Jubilee of setting up of Circuit Bench of Patna High Court in Ranchi in the year 1972. It is praiseworthy that, as part of Golden Jubilee celebrations, you are augmenting the judicial infrastructure.It is a great privilege and honor to be delivering the inaugural lecture instituted in the memory of Shri Justice Satya Brata Sinha. Justice Sinha will be remembered as one of the greatest jurists of the Indian judiciary. He made sure that his values were expounded in his judgements. He was a crusader of personal liberty. He enjoyed abundance of goodwill and affection from every member of the bar and the bench. It did not take me very long to decide on the topic of this lecture, that is, "life of a judge". It is one topic that Justice Sinha used to discuss very often with his colleagues and his friends.After the end of the 2nd World War, it was clear for modern democracies that law is not a mere one-way projection of authority. Renowned scholars have therefore argued that a law cannot really be classified as a "law" unless...

I Was Keen On Joining Active Politics, But Destiny Desired Otherwise : Chief Justice of India NV Ramana

LIVELAW NEWS NETWORK

Tags