"Will visit God's own country as tourist, not jurist": Kerala High Court Chief Justice AJ Desai retires

Kerala High Court Chief Justice Ashish Jitendra Desai retired from office on Thursday..A full-court reference was organised in honour of Justice Desai, the 38th Chief Justice of the Kerala High CourtSpeaking at the event, Chief Justice AJ Desai expressed his gratitude towards the bar and the bench. He also spoke of his time as a judge at the Kerala High Court, describing it as one of the best in the country. He lauded the efforts of the Kerala State Legal Services Authority, KELSA and the advancements in IT and communication technology implemented in the Kerala High Court to enhance access to justice. He highlighted Kerala's achievements in education, health and social security and also noted the State's progressive approach to gender equality and the high representation of women in the legal profession and judicial services.With teary eyes, he acknowledged the unwavering support of his parents, Jitendra and Mandakini Desai, and thanked his wife and family."I will forever remain grateful for the privilege of working alongside you all in Kerala. I will certainly visit God's own country again, but as a tourist and not a jurist," the Chief Justice signed off. .I will certainly visit God's own country again, but as a tourist and not a jurist.Chief Justice AJ Desai.Chief Justice AJ Desai was born on July 5, 1962 at Vadodara. Hailing from a family of judges and lawyers his father late Justice Jitendra P Desai also served as a judge in the Gujrat High Court from 1983 until 1989.Justice Desai earned his law degree from Sir LA Shah College in Ahmedabad in 1985 and enrolled as an advocate the same year.He joined the office of Advocates MC Bhatt and Daksha M Bhatt and was initially practicing before the Ahmedabad City Civil and Sessions Court before moving on to the High Court in 1991. In 1994, he was appointed as an Assistant Government Pleader and in 1995, became an Additional Public Prosecutor, a position he held until his elevation to the judiciary.Between 2006 and 2009, he also served as Central Government Standing Counsel.He was elevated as an Additional Judge of the Gujarat High Court on November 21, 2011 and was confirmed as a permanent judge on September 6, 2013.On February 26, 2023 he was appointed as the Acting Chief justice of the Gujrat High Court.He took oath as the Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court on July 22, 2023..The farewell event was attended by Kerala's Advocate General Gopalakrishna Kurup K, President of the Kerala High Court Association Yeshwanth Shenoy and Justice A Muhamed Mustaque who is slated to assume charge as the Acting Chief Justice of the High Court..In his speech, Justice Mustaque lauded Chief Justice Desai's foresight in ensuring that institutional interest always came first. He noted that Justice Desai had proposed the appointment of judges from the Bar, which resulted in an unprecedented strength of 42 judges for the first time in the history of Kerala High Court.