Sense of compassion for society has sustained me as judge: CJI Chandrachud

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Friday said what sustained him as a judge, even at the time of scrutiny, was his sense of compassion for society.

IMAGE: Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud. Photograph: ANI Photo

"The element of scrutiny gets into our work. Nothing misses this scrutiny. This element of scrutiny guides the work of our court. But what sustains us as judges is our sense of compassion for the society to which we render our justice," the CJI said.

CJI Chandrachud, who is set to retire on November 10, was felicitated by the lawyers' associations of Mumbai at the Bombay High Court.

He recalled a case where relief was granted to a Dalit student who could not pay admission fees at IIT Dhanbad on time.

"The boy came from a marginalised background, could not pay the admission fees of Rs 17,500. He would have lost his admission had we not granted relief then. This is what has sustained me as a judge all these years," the CJI said.

The Supreme Court had, on September 30, directed Indian Institute of Technology Dhanbad to give admission to Atul Kumar (18), the son of a daily wage labourer from Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar, after he lost his seat in the Electrical Engineering branch for missing the deadline to pay admission fee of Rs 17,500 by a few minutes.

"You can find 25 reasons of technical nature to not grant relief to a citizen but to my mind one single justification to grant relief is all that is necessary," the CJI asserted.

CJI Chandrachud, who served as a judge of Bombay high court for over a decade before being elevated as Chief Justice of Allahabad high court, said nothing would compare to Bombay HC.

"There is nothing like Bombay high court. Even during the time of Emergency, when everybody was losing their minds, the Bombay high court judges did not waver from the cause of justice. So many judges stood by what they believed was justice and liberty for the citizens," he said.

CJI Chandrachud said he was "overwhelmed initially" when he took up judgeship.

"As a judge you are confronted with your worst fears. As an advocate you can refuse a brief but you cannot do that as a judge. You must take up every matter that is on your board. I was overwhelmed initially," he said.