Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud said on Friday that his shoulders are broad enough to accept criticism. Speaking at his farewell function, he said in a lighter vein that those who used to troll him would now be rendered unemployed.
CJI Chandrachud will retire on November 10. The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) organised a farewell function in his honour today.
“Sunlight is the best disinfectant. I know in many ways I’ve exposed my personal life to public knowledge. When you expose your own life to public knowledge, you expose yourself to criticism, particularly in today’s age of social media. My shoulders are broad enough to accept all the criticism that we have faced,” he said.
“…In a lighter vein, I am wondering what will happen from Monday. All those who trolled me will be rendered unemployed,” he added.
CJI Chandrachud was criticised by the opposition after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited his house for a puja.
CJI Chandrachud also shared a personal story about his children.
“A word for my lovely children Abhinav and Chintan, I keep telling them, ‘Why don’t you come to Delhi and argue in the SC? At least I will see you.’ They told me, ‘Dad, we will do that after you leave the office. Why should we bring disrepute to your name and our name by coming here when you are a judge?”
Addressing his farewell function, CJI DY Chandrachud spoke about the pendency of cases in the Supreme Court.
“At the time when I took over as the Chief Justice, I found that there were close to 1,500 files which had been stashed in the cupboard of a registrar. I said this has to change. Between 9th November 2022 and 1st November 2024, 1.11 lakh cases were filed. 5.33 lakh cases were listed, and 1.07 lakh cases were disposed of. On 1st January 2020, 79,500 cases were pending before the Supreme Court, including what we now call unregistered or defective cases. That number on 1st January 2022 went up to 93,000 cases. On 1st January 2024, the number came down to 82,000 cases. The 82,000 cases which are pending do not tell you that this number includes both registered and unregistered cases, and the number has decreased in two years by over 11,000 cases,” he added.
He shared an anecdote about his father, former CJI YV Chandrachud.
“He (my father) bought this small flat in Pune. I asked him, ‘Why on earth are you buying a flat in Pune? When are we going to stay there?’ He said, ‘I know I’m never going to stay there. I’m not sure how long I will be with you, but do one thing, keep this flat until the last day of your tenure as a judge.’ I said, ‘Why is that?’ He said, ‘If you feel that your moral integrity or your intellectual integrity is ever compromised, I want you to know that you have a roof over your head. Never allow yourself to be compromised either as a lawyer or as a judge, because you have no place of your own,” he added.
Supreme Court judge, Justice Sanjiv Khanna will become the CJI on November 11.
With inputs from ANI, PTI