NEW DELHI, Nov 14: Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud said on Sunday he knows expectations from him are high but he is not here to do “miracles”.
Justice Chandrachud said as the head of the judiciary, he would look to his colleagues at the Supreme Court and gain from their weight of experience and wisdom which has not been “traditionally tapped”.
The CJI said he believes the Apex Court judges who have come from the Bar bring “freshness” with them and it is a unique combination of the Bar and the Bench which comes together in the top court.
“So, all in all, I begin by telling you that I am not here to do miracles. I know that challenges are high, perhaps the expectations are also high, and I am deeply grateful to your sense of faith but I am not here to do miracles,” Justice Chandrachud said addressing a function organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) to felicitate him on his appointment as the CJI.
“I believe that my motto every day is that if this were to be the last day in my life, have I left the world a better place. This is what I ask myself every day,” he said.
Justice Chandrachud took over as the 50th CJI on November 9 and will be in office for two years till November 10, 2024. Supreme Court judges retire at the age of 65.
Speaking at the SCBA’s function, the CJI said he believes that each of his colleagues, with whom he collaborates every day, is as good or better than him and their experiences are as good as or better than him.
“Therefore, I will be looking at my own colleagues to give me their weight of experience. Judges of the Supreme Court who are drawn from the high courts bring with them years and years of experience as judges and chief justice of the high court and their collective experience and wisdom is something which we in the Supreme Court have not traditionally tapped,” Justice Chandrachud said.
He said this is one of the grievances “or to say one of the critiques of many of our colleagues”.
“I believe I have to change that and depend more on my colleagues, draw out their experiences and that experience will contribute to strengthening the institution,” he said.
He said the work the judges do is a collaborative effort between the Bar and the Bench.
The CJI said he believes that whether chief justices are respected or not is based on whether or not they do the basic function as a judge.
“There is enormous amount of work you have to do as chief justice and I am constantly told for last few days to cut down on the judicial work you do and your propensity to cross time so as to focus on your administrative work,” Justice Chandrachud said.
The CJI said he believes that for a judge his judicial work is the most fulfilling aspect of his life and there can be no compromises on it.
“That is the way I believe and I intend to chart my course for next two years,” he said.
The CJI said there are apex court judges who have come from the district judiciary, like Justice Bela M Trivedi and Justice (retired) R Banumathi, who have years and years of experience of handling the grassroots reality of the country’s legal system. (PTI)
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