Young lawyers need to be trained, humility lies in recognizing one's own shortcoming: Supreme Court judge Justice Navin Sinha retires

Supreme Court Justice Navin Sinha retired from office on Wednesday after serving at the top court for 4.5 years.

Justice Sinha in his farewell speech, stressed on the need to train young lawyers so that both the Bar and the Bench benefit from the same.

He highlighted that today's lawyers will be tomorrow's judges and considering the complexity of laws and stiff competition, young lawyers should be trained.

"Humility lies in recognising ones own shortcoming and address it. In today's time when competition is stiff and laws are tough, I believe younger generation of lawyers need to be trained," said Justice Sinha.

He, therefore, urged the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) to do the needful.

"They (young lawyers) must be taught manner and deameanour of a lawyer. When the lawyer appears, a judge should be able to trust him. I leave a suggestion for SCBA to train the younger lawyers," Justice Sinha said.

He was speaking at the farewell function organised for him by the SCBA.

Chief Justice of India NV Ramana who spoke on the occasion said that the process of decision making by a judge goes beyond the knowledge and application of principle of law.

"It needs moral courage to render an opinion which might displease many. It is imperative for judges not to be swayed by these external pressures. Brother Sinha is a man of impeccable integrity, strong morals, and the conviction to always stand by his principles. He is fiercely independent and impartial," said the CJI.

CJI Ramana further stated that "impartiality is not an easy quality to possess or apply to the cases before us."

"We often carry our individual baggage of biases and prejudices which can unconsciously affect the decision-making process. Our social conditions, upbringing and life experiences often colour our opinions and notions. But, when we adorn the robe of a judge, we must make a conscious effort to cast aside our biases and prejudices. After all, equality, objectivity and even-handedness form crucial aspects of fairness," said Justice Sinha.

Sinha did his LLB from Delhi University and enrolled as an advocate in 1979. He practiced before the Patna High Court for 23 years before being appointed permanent judge of the High Court in 2004.

He was, thereafter, transferred to the Chhattisgarh High Court and served as it Chief Justice and later served as the Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court.

Justice Sinha was appointed Supreme Court judge on February 17, 2017.

As a Supreme Court judge, Justice Sinha disposed of over 13,000 cases.

[Read Live Account of the ceremony]