You can't be a good Hindu or a good Muslim unless you are a good human being: Justice Pankaj Naqvi in his farewell speech

Allahabad High Court judge, Justice Pankaj Naqvi exhorted people to embrace secularism and humanity and to cultivate respect for all religious faiths and beliefs. .Justice Naqvi, who will retire as Allahabad High Court judge on August 21, said that no religion is superior to 'humanism'."There is no religion superior to 'humanism'. You can't be a good Hindu, you can't be a good Muslim, unless you are a good human being," he said, recounting how his father had imparted these values to him.Always be secular in your approach and respect other religious faiths, Justice Naqvi added..We will live and die for the Constitution of India.Justice Pankaj Naqvi .He was speaking at the farewell ceremony organised for him by the High Court on his final working day. Justice Naqvi in his speech, also emphasised the importance of the Constitution of India for judges, stating that "Indian Constitution is our Bible and we are sworn to it. We will live and die for the Constitution.".While recalling his initial days at the bar, Justice Naqvi said the first thing his Senior told him was, "Forget whose son you are. If you want to be a good lawyer, then first you have to become a good Munshi (Clerk).".You can't be a good Hindu, you can't be a good Muslim, unless you are a good human being.Justice Pankaj Naqvi .Justice Naqvi completed his law from the Delhi University in 1984 and enrolled as an advocate in 1985. He was appointed a judge of the Allahabad High Court on November 21, 2011..In his career spanning over 9 years, Justice Naqvi delivered some notable verdicts. .He was a part of the bench in Salamat Ansari & 3 Others v State of Uttar Pradesh in which the Court held that right to live with a person of choice, irrespective of religion, is intrinsic to right to life and personal liberty. .A Bench of Justices Vivek Agarwal and Naqvi overruled two earlier judgments in this regard and held that if an alleged (religious) conversion is under clout, the Constitutional Court was obliged to ascertain the wish and desire of the girl who was above the age of 18 years..In Smt. Shikha (Corpus) And Another v. State Of Uttar Pradesh, a Division Bench comprising Justice Naqvi reunited an interfaith couple after noting that the woman had "expressed that she wants to live with her husband." The Court said that she is free to move as per her choice without any restriction or hindrance being created by any third party..In Dhananjay v. State Of Uttar Pradesh, a Bench Led by Justice Naqvi refused to quash a First Information Report against a man accused of posting nude snaps of his wife on WhatsApp..In Nadeem v. State of Uttar Pradesh, Justice Naqvi stayed the arrest of a man booked by the UP Police under the Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020.."Victim is admittedly an adult who understands her well being. She as well as the petitioner have a fundamental right to privacy and being grown up adults who are aware of the consequences of their alleged relationship," the Court said .In Vijay Kumar Gupta and Anr v. State of Uttar Pradesh, a Division Bench headed by Justice Naqvi explained the ingredients for applying exception 4 to Section 300 of the Indian Penal Code..The court converted the conviction for murder under Section 302 IPC to culpable homicide not amounting to murder by applying the said exception. .In Areeb Uddin Ahmed and Ors v. High Court of Allahabad, a bench led by Justice Naqvi remarked that no one is preventing the media from reporting court proceedings. "Who is stopping you?" the court said.[Read Live Account of the Farewell ceremony below]