Bar, bench bid adieu to CJI Chandrachud at special events

Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud has said that trying to make a difference in the lives of the common man was what made him tick as a judge for the past 24 years. Known for his judgments ranging from declaring privacy a fundamental right to decriminalising homosexuality to the Ayodhya title dispute case to scrapping electoral bonds to granting permanent commission to women officers in defence forces to upholding the scrapping of Article 370, justice Chandrachud, who leaves a rich legacy of judicial verdicts, said that he was also one of the “most trolled” judges on social media. This is a record that will remain unbroken!” Justice Khanna highlighted that the CJI’s scholarly prowess was evident through his judgments, his compassion was seen by how he made courts accessible to people with disabilities and permitted specially abled people to run a cafe in Supreme Court complex, and his high standards of self-discipline and unwavering work ethic were an example for all. This court is in solid, stable and erudite hands.” During the special bench, SCBA president and senior advocate Kapil Sibal said: “In my 52 years I have not seen a judge like CJI with limitless patience, reaching out to communities who were never seen before, be it lives of marginalised and challenged people and taking complex matters such as electoral bonds, Article 370 and same-sex marriage head on which past CJIs did not deal with for years.” On a comparison with Chandrachud’s father, former CJI YV Chandrachud, Sibal said: “This Chandrachud has outpaced the legacy of his father. You are a class apart.” Justice PS Narasimha, who was elevated from the bar as a judge of the top court in 2021, and who shared the bench with CJI in some of the landmark decisions over past few weeks, said, “Both as a lawyer and as a judge, CJI Chandrachud held an extraordinary ability to connect life with law.” Another judge, justice Hrishikesh Roy, his batch mate in college, said that with the great talent possessed by justice Chandrachud, he is sure to spread his flavour across the globe.