‘I’m One Of The Most Trolled Judges’, Says CJI Chandrachud In Farewell Speech
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CJI Chandrachud, who assumed office on November 9, 2022, bid farewell to his position today after his two-year term ended.
Outgoing Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud speaks during a farewell function organised in his honour by Supreme Court Bar Association. (PTI)
Outgoing Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud on Friday took a jibe at many of his trolls saying that he might perhaps be the most trolled judge but that does not deter him and he respects his opponents.
Justice Chandrachud, who had often been trolled during his term, did not forget to leave behind a parting shot for those “who will be rendered unemployed” from Monday.
“I am, probably, one of the most trolled judges… and on a lighter note, I am wondering what will happen from Monday as all those who trolled me will be rendered unemployed,” he said.
At the farewell organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association, the outgoing CJI responded to the criticism and online trolling he has received in the last few days by quoting a Urdu Shayari by poet Bashir Badr.
“I hope you know that amount of trolling I have received. I will only say a shayari – Mukhalif se meri shaksiyat sanwarti hai Mein dushmano ka bada ehtiram karta hu (Opposition makes better my personality, I respect my enemies very much),” he said as quoted by Bar and Bench.
CJI Chandrachud, who assumed office on November 9, 2022, bid farewell to his position today after his two-year term ended.
Justice Chandrachud has been criticised by at several occasions for certain public remarks, including the recent one regarding the Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir-Babri Masjid judgment when he said that he had appealed to God to help him with a solution to the long-standing dispute.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited the residence of CJI in September to participate in the Ganpati Puja, sparking a debate over the separation of powers between the executive and the judiciary. At various occasions, Justice Chandrachud clarified that there was nothing wrong in the visit and underscored the need for a “sense of maturity in political sphere” on such issues. Such meetings do not imply that any deal has been made, he had said.
In another incident earlier this year, he had said that he was criticised for shifting in his seat, to alleviate pain in his back. He had said he had been subject to “vicious abuse… trolling (and) the knives were out”.
While addressing a event in Karnataka, the outgoing CJI had shared his personal experience saying that he was trolled based on the live-streaming of an important hearing. “Just four or five days ago when I was hearing a case, I had a little pain in back, so all that I did was I placed my elbows in my armchair in the court and I just shifted my position in the chair,” Justice Chandrachud had said.
He said there were several comments on the social media which alleged that the Chief Justice of India is “so arrogant” that he got up in the midst an important argument in court.
Justice Sanjiv Khanna has been nominated as his successor and will be sworn in as the 51st Chief Justice of India on November 11.
Who is DY Chandrachud?
The outgoing CJI Holds a BA with Honors in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, New Delhi, a LLB degree from Campus Law Centre, Delhi University and an LLM and SJD from Harvard Law School.
He was designated as a Senior Advocate and Additional Solicitor General of India in 1998. He was elevated to the Bench of the Bombay High Court in March 2000. He was sworn in as Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court in October 2013. He moved to the Supreme Court in May 2016. He was then sworn in as the Chief Justice of India on November 9, 2022.
