'Chief, You Truly Did It Your Way': CJI Chandrachud’s Successor Honours His Legacy

New Delhi: Chief Justice of India-designate Sanjiv Khanna on Friday lauded CJI D Y Chandrachud for his "monumental" contribution, saying he worked on a mission to improve apex court and pursued his goal of making it "a sanctuary of inclusivity", which was accessible to all.

At a farewell event for Justice Chandrachud, organised by Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), Justice Khanna, in an emotional speech, said re would be an "emptiness" in Supreme Court with his demitting office.

"When a towering tree in forest of justice steps back, birds pause ir songs, and wind moves differently. Or trees shift and just to fill void. But forest will never be quite same again.

"From Monday, we will feel change deeply, an emptiness will resonate through sandstone pillars of this court, a quiet echo within hearts of members of bar and bench alike," Justice Khanna said.

He highlighted qualities of CJI Chandrachud as a scholar and a jurist, embodying calmness in his professional and personal life while prouncing "monumental" judgments.

"Thirty-eight constitutional bench judgments, including two just prounced today. This is a record which will remain unbroken," CJI-designate said.

He said ar feat that was difficult to emulate was Justice Chandrachud’s ability to dress audiences on diverse subjects.

"During one of conversations I h with him, he said that it was his third speech on same day. Chief, you are t only an elegant orator, but you command equal mastery over written word," Justice Khanna said.

He possesses a rare ability to bridge tritional wisdom with contemporary thought into a seamless connectivity with old principles and invations of legal philosophy, Justice Khanna said.

He said that ar commendable aspect of Justice Chandrachud was his self-discipline and unwavering work ethic.

"As a chief justice, he h a mission, mission to improve this court under his leership and several critical institutional developments took to flight -- from construction of new chambers to (a new) Supreme Court building to establishment of a dedicated war room and staff welfare activities.

"That apart, as a techlogy buff, chief has transformed this court to bring techlogy and courts to doorsteps of litigants, be it through live streaming, hybrid hearing artificial intelligence (AI) translation or e-filing, making our life and lives of hundreds of lawyers so much at ease," Justice Khanna said.

He said that Justice Chandrachud h profound compassion and relentlessly pursued his goal of making apex court "a sanctuary of inclusivity", which was accessible to all.

"Consider, for instance, creation of Mitti cafe, a remarkable run entirely by differently-abled individuals, or his dedicated reforms to make this court truly accessible, welcoming those who for long, have found se s daunting or obstructive," CJI-designate said.

"I must speak about his continuous flow of energy. Somebody has remarked, that a person doesn't need brilliance or genius. All he needs is energy. Chief, you clearly combine three: genius, brilliance and energy, leaving us to wonder, what is source of your energy?" Justice Khanna said he h discussed several issues and problems with Justice Chandrachud but re were never any differences between m, "We h our opinions, but neverless we found ways and means to deal with it," he said.

"As chief prepares to demit office soon, re will be, undoubtedly, a vacuum, both in institution and for someone who h worked and lived with such dedication… Of course, chief will be missed by us. We will miss your presence physically, but you will always be filled; you will be amongst us as one of us," Justice Khanna said.

Wishing him well in his family life and personal endeavours, CJI-designate said, "While Bob Dylan was one of your favourite (singers), I like to borrow a line from Frank Sinatra song, ‘I did it my way.’ Chief, you truly did it your way."