Judges must be steadfast in holding on to their principles, fearless in their decisions: Justice NV Ramana tribute to Justice AR Lakshmanan

While paying tribute to the late Justice AR Lakshmanan, the Supreme Court's Justice NV Ramana on Saturday said that a "judge must be fearless in his decisions" and that they must "stand up bravely against all obstacles.".Justice Ramana was speaking at a virtual condolence meeting organised by the Madras Bar Association in honour of former Apex Court judge Lakshmanan J. who passed away on August 27 this year..During his speech, Justice Ramana, who is next in line to become Chief Justice of India, said,."There are innumerable qualities that a person needs to live what can be called a good life: humility, patience, kindness, a strong work ethic and the enthusiasm to constantly learn and improve oneself. Most importantly, particularly for a judge, one must be steadfast in holding on to their principles and fearless in their decisions. It is an important quality for a judge to withstand all pressures and odds and to stand up bravely against all obstacles."Justice NV Ramana.It was further pointed out by Justice Ramana that the greatest strength of the judiciary is the faith people repose in the institution. "The greatest strength of the judiciary is the faith of people in it. Faith, confidence and acceptability cannot be commanded, they have to be earned. I believe Justice Lakshmanan epitomized all the required qualities of being one of the best judges this country has seen.".Stating that Justice Lakshmanan was "very close to his heart", Justice Ramana stated that the former judge "never forgot his friends and companions, like a true leader he always took care of everybody.".Before concluding his speech, Justice Ramana recalled the words of Justice Lakshmanan, who said,“We, the members of the judicial hierarchy have inherited the legacy of dedicated collective endeavour by the bench and the bar in establishing an unbroken tradition of high efficiency, perfect integrity and fearless independence.”.Justice Lakshmanan was a first-generation lawyer. After practising as a lawyer for over 23 years, he was appointed as a permanent judge of the Madras High Court in 1990. He served as Acting Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court on three occasion, and was later appointed Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court. He also served as Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court. Thereafter, he was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court in the year 2002, where he served for five years before retiring in 2007.After his retirement, he was appointed as Chairman of the 18th Law Commission of India..[Read the full text of Justice Ramana's speech].Justice Ramana's statements on being "fearless" come at a time when Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy made allegations against him in a letter addressed to Chief Justice of India SA Bobde.https://twitter.com/barandbench/status/1317744496004587520?s=20.SCBA EC condemns Jagan Mohan Reddy for levelling allegations against Justice NV Ramana, SCBA President opts out of resolution