Forgive me if I hurt anyone: CJI DY Chandrachud bids farewell to Supreme Court

Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud shed tears on his last working day as a judge of the Supreme Court of India.

Sitting in a customary ceremonial bench with CJI-designate Sanjiv Khanna and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, the Chandrachud J left the Supreme Court with an earnest message.

"If I ever hurt anyone of you, I would like to just say please forgive me for something which I didn't intend to ever say or do which may have hurt you," he said.

The ceremonial bench witnessed a series of tributes. Attorney General R Venkataramani, in his address, humorously recalled a recent conference in Brazil where attendees danced after the event.

"What if I ask everyone here to dance on your retirement? I am sure most will vote in favour of me!" he said

Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta followed with praise for CJI Chandrachud's commitment to impartiality, noting that even though the government "won few, lost many" cases before him, they never doubted that justice was being served.

Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal described Chandrachud as "an extraordinary son of an extraordinary father," referring to the CJI’s father, former Chief Justice of India YV Chandrachud. He said that CJI Chandrachud’s conduct had demonstrated to communities across India what dignity truly means.

"Your father dealt with the Court when the Court was tumultuous and you dealt when matters were tumultuous. There will be none like you who shall adorn that chair ever again," he further added.

Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi praised CJI Chandrachud for ushering in technological advancements, from promoting the use of iPads to modernising court infrastructure. He expressed admiration for the CJI’s ability to "exceed the statute of patience," noting that he often went beyond the usual hours to hear cases.

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) N Venkataraman highlighted CJI Chandrachud’s temperament, summing it up with five Cs: calm, cool, composed, neither critical nor condemning. He emphasised that the CJI was a “record breaker” who never let success go to his head.

Senior Advocate Rajiv Shakdher, who retired as Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court last month, praised CJI Chandrachud’s work ethic.

"I think you have utilised all the time you had. You turned 24 hours day into 48 hours one. Little do people understand that there are trials and tribulations for a judge and you do not get what you always want. I wish you all the very best always and forever," he said.

Senior Advocate Huzefa Ahmadi noted how CJI Chandrachud championed “underdog litigants” and fought for women’s rights in the armed forces.

Senior Advocate KK Venugopal recalled how CJI Chandrachud’s father once asked whether his son should continue at the bar or take up judgeship. Venugopal advised against it, yet he added, "But you took up judgeship and thank God. If you had listened to me then we would have lost such a judge."

CJI Designate Justice Sanjiv Khanna reflected on the task of filling CJI Chandrachud’s shoes.

"He has made my task easy and tough. Easy because of the revolutions ushered in and tough because I cannot walk upto him, he will be sorely missed," he said.

In his final remarks, CJI Chandrachud reflected on the journey of a judge, calling it both a privilege and a responsibility. He assured that his tenure would transition smoothly under Justice Khanna.

"We are here as pilgrims to work and the work we do can make or break cases. There have been great judges who have adorned this court and passed on this baton. There is not going to be any difference when I leave this court because a person as stable as justice Khanna will take over and is so dignified," he stated.

Sworn in as the 50th Chief Justice of India two years ago, CJI Chandrachud had taken over from former CJI Uday Umesh Lalit.

Born on November 11, 1959, he graduated from Delhi's St Stephen's College in 1979 before completing his LL.B. from Delhi University in 1982 and LL.M. from Harvard University in 1983. He obtained the degree of Doctor of Juridicial Sciences (SJD) from Harvard in 1986.

He served as an Additional Solicitor General for India from 1998 to 2000. He was designated a Senior Advocate by the Bombay High Court in 1998 and appeared in several important cases involving public interest litigation, rights of bonded women workers, rights of HIV positive workers in the workplace, contract labour and the rights of religious and linguistic minorities.

He was appointed as an additional judge of the Bombay High Court on March 29, 2000 and served there till his appointment as Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court on October 31, 2013.

His elevation to the Supreme Court took place on May 13, 2016. 

He has since authored a number of notable judgments including dissenting opinions against the ruling dispensation.

He was the lone dissenting judge on a nine-judge Constitution Bench who held the Aadhaar Act to be unconstitutional for having been passed as a Money Bill.

Under his Chairpersonship, the Supreme Court E-Court Committee has been instrumental in creating infrastructure for live-streaming of court proceedings in India, especially at a time when hearings were severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.