Speaking at a condolence meet organised on Saturday, 17 October, for former Supreme Court Judge AR Lakshmanan, who passed away in August, senior Supreme Court judge Justice Ramana said that the judiciary’s greatest strength is the faith of the people in it.
Justice Ramana further, according to NDTV, said that judges ought to be “steadfast in holding on to their principles’ and “fearless in their decisions”.
Justice Ramana’s comments, incidentally, come in the backdrop of a controversy triggered by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s letter making allegations about a “nexus” between one of the senior-most judges of the Supreme Court, former CM Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party, and judges of the AP High Court.
“Faith, Confidence and Acceptability Have to be Earned”
Speaking at the event, Justice Ramana further said: “Faith, confidence and acceptability cannot be commanded, they have to be earned.”
Justice Ramana, according to NDTV, also underscored the importance of humility, patience, kindness, a strong work ethic and “enthusiasm to constantly learn and improve oneself” in order to “what can be called a good life”.
“Most importantly, particularly for a judge, one must be steadfast in holding on to their principles and fearless in their decisions. It is an important quality for a judge to withstand all pressures and odds and to stand up bravely against all obstacles.“Justice Ramana
Justice Ramana also recalled late Justice Lakshmanan and said that he epitomised all the qualities of being one of the best judges the country had ever seen.
Pointing out that Justice Lakshmanan wore his values on his sleeves, Justice Ramana said that “our values are ultimately our greatest wealth.”
He also said: "We should all take inspiration from his (Justice Lakshmana’s) words and should strive to commit a vibrant and independent judiciary which is required in the current times".
About Justice Lakshmanan
Justice Lakshmanan was appointed Permanent Judge of the Madras High Court in 1990, reported NDTV. He then went on to serves as the Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court, and also of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, before he was elevated as a Judge of the Supreme Court in 2002, where he served till 2007.
As a Supreme Court judge, Justice Lakshmanan reportedly was part of several Constitution benches and contributed in more than 200 judgments
(With inputs from NDTV.)
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