The Madras High Court today bid farewell to Chief Justice Indira Banerjee, who is due to take oath as a judge of the Supreme Court tomorrow..She is only the second woman Chief Justice to head the Madras High Court, following Chief Justice Kanta Kumari Bhatnagar, who was appointed in 1992..While rendering the farewell address in place of the Advocate General, Additional Advocate General PH Arvindh Pandian made note that Justice Banerjee is the first woman Chief Justice to be elevated from the chartered High Court to the Supreme Court..This apart, it was also during Justice Banerjee’s tenure that an all-woman First Bench presided over the Madras High Court for the first time. Shortly after her appointment, history was made when Justice Banerjee sat with Justice Bhavani Subbaroyan in the First Court..Thereafter she has also sat with Justice R Hemalatha. After the last roster change, the Chief Justice had been sitting with Justice PT Asha in the First Court..The AAG recounted a number of landmark judgments that were passed during her tenure, including Murugaswamy v The State, which could even be said to constitute a mini-criminal code..Praising the Chief Justice for her general demeanour during court hearings, Pandian noted that every counsel, old or young, had the satisfaction of a patient hearing..This apart, Justice Banerjee’s social engagements, her scholarly interactions at public functions, and her efforts and fostering an interprofessional understanding between the Bar and the Bench were also acknowledged..Justice Banerjee commenced her response by saying,.“I suppose it is the convention on occasions like this to say very nice things, but thank you very much, nevertheless. I have only tried to discharge my duties as the Chief Justice of this court without fear or favour.”.With regard to judgments that were delivered during her tenure, she acknowledged the contributions of the Bar and her fellow judges..“The best judgments come when there is good assistance from the members of the Bar.”.She went on to observe that her tryst with Tamil Nadu pre-dated her appointment to the High Court..“I had immense fondness for this state even before I actually joined as Chief Justice of this state. I was appointed a judge in the year 2002 and my second LTC was utilised for a tour of Tamil Nadu…”.Following multiple trips over the years, Justice Banerjee recalled that she was thrilled to take up the mantle of Chief Justice of the Madras High Court when it was offered to her..“Almost every year, I was to be in some part of Tamil Nadu… when I was offered to be a Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, I was absolutely thrilled. This state has a very rich history, culture, tradition. The people are hardworking, sincere, religious-minded.”.She also commented on the great traditions of the Madras High Court itself..“This High Court has a great tradition and I cannot possibly try and compare myself with my great predecessors in office, who have not only been known for very high standards of erudition, but have also been known for their extremely high ethical standards.”.Referring to Justice T Muthuswami Iyer, the first Indian judge to appointed to the Madras High Court, Justice Banerjee remarked,.“Who would imagine a judge who would take off his footwear before sitting on the desk? Why? Because he considered this High Court a temple of justice and that desk is the sanctum of…that temple of justice. This is the tradition of the Madras High Court.”.Justice Banerjee also made a special note to express her gratitude to the members of the Registry, her personal staff and other officers of the Court..“There are persons behind us who burned the midnight oil, who do not have half the facilities … the advantages we have.”.Her experience with the Madras High Court also prompted her to remark that it is perhaps the best High Court for judges..“When I was first being sent here, I found a lot of people being somewhat apologetic. Of course, I was happy to be here. .But I think I will now go and tell them that this is the best High Court for an Indian judge. I am thankful to the members of the Bar that they have not abstained from work a single day. Congratulations.”.She went on to remark,.“… I can say that I will physically be in Delhi. But my heart will be in Tamil Nadu.“.Before concluding her speech, Justice Banerjee also endorsed the need for a paradigm shift from a court-centric approach to a litigant-centric, service-oriented approach. In moving towards this goal, she informed that her fellow judges have been working towards ways to ensure that long pending matters are disposed of..As a result of their efforts, Justice Banerjee noted, there has been an increase in the percentage of disposals during the current year. She also spoke of the need to ensure that ongoing projects in the High Court are not stalled by reason of administrative delays..She concluded her speech, as she has always done during her tenure at the High Court, with a conventional Tamil valediction,.“Nandri, vannakkam.“
The Madras High Court today bid farewell to Chief Justice Indira Banerjee, who is due to take oath as a judge of the Supreme Court tomorrow..She is only the second woman Chief Justice to head the Madras High Court, following Chief Justice Kanta Kumari Bhatnagar, who was appointed in 1992..While rendering the farewell address in place of the Advocate General, Additional Advocate General PH Arvindh Pandian made note that Justice Banerjee is the first woman Chief Justice to be elevated from the chartered High Court to the Supreme Court..This apart, it was also during Justice Banerjee’s tenure that an all-woman First Bench presided over the Madras High Court for the first time. Shortly after her appointment, history was made when Justice Banerjee sat with Justice Bhavani Subbaroyan in the First Court..Thereafter she has also sat with Justice R Hemalatha. After the last roster change, the Chief Justice had been sitting with Justice PT Asha in the First Court..The AAG recounted a number of landmark judgments that were passed during her tenure, including Murugaswamy v The State, which could even be said to constitute a mini-criminal code..Praising the Chief Justice for her general demeanour during court hearings, Pandian noted that every counsel, old or young, had the satisfaction of a patient hearing..This apart, Justice Banerjee’s social engagements, her scholarly interactions at public functions, and her efforts and fostering an interprofessional understanding between the Bar and the Bench were also acknowledged..Justice Banerjee commenced her response by saying,.“I suppose it is the convention on occasions like this to say very nice things, but thank you very much, nevertheless. I have only tried to discharge my duties as the Chief Justice of this court without fear or favour.”.With regard to judgments that were delivered during her tenure, she acknowledged the contributions of the Bar and her fellow judges..“The best judgments come when there is good assistance from the members of the Bar.”.She went on to observe that her tryst with Tamil Nadu pre-dated her appointment to the High Court..“I had immense fondness for this state even before I actually joined as Chief Justice of this state. I was appointed a judge in the year 2002 and my second LTC was utilised for a tour of Tamil Nadu…”.Following multiple trips over the years, Justice Banerjee recalled that she was thrilled to take up the mantle of Chief Justice of the Madras High Court when it was offered to her..“Almost every year, I was to be in some part of Tamil Nadu… when I was offered to be a Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, I was absolutely thrilled. This state has a very rich history, culture, tradition. The people are hardworking, sincere, religious-minded.”.She also commented on the great traditions of the Madras High Court itself..“This High Court has a great tradition and I cannot possibly try and compare myself with my great predecessors in office, who have not only been known for very high standards of erudition, but have also been known for their extremely high ethical standards.”.Referring to Justice T Muthuswami Iyer, the first Indian judge to appointed to the Madras High Court, Justice Banerjee remarked,.“Who would imagine a judge who would take off his footwear before sitting on the desk? Why? Because he considered this High Court a temple of justice and that desk is the sanctum of…that temple of justice. This is the tradition of the Madras High Court.”.Justice Banerjee also made a special note to express her gratitude to the members of the Registry, her personal staff and other officers of the Court..“There are persons behind us who burned the midnight oil, who do not have half the facilities … the advantages we have.”.Her experience with the Madras High Court also prompted her to remark that it is perhaps the best High Court for judges..“When I was first being sent here, I found a lot of people being somewhat apologetic. Of course, I was happy to be here. .But I think I will now go and tell them that this is the best High Court for an Indian judge. I am thankful to the members of the Bar that they have not abstained from work a single day. Congratulations.”.She went on to remark,.“… I can say that I will physically be in Delhi. But my heart will be in Tamil Nadu.“.Before concluding her speech, Justice Banerjee also endorsed the need for a paradigm shift from a court-centric approach to a litigant-centric, service-oriented approach. In moving towards this goal, she informed that her fellow judges have been working towards ways to ensure that long pending matters are disposed of..As a result of their efforts, Justice Banerjee noted, there has been an increase in the percentage of disposals during the current year. She also spoke of the need to ensure that ongoing projects in the High Court are not stalled by reason of administrative delays..She concluded her speech, as she has always done during her tenure at the High Court, with a conventional Tamil valediction,.“Nandri, vannakkam.“
