Feel like baby again, says junior-most SC Judge K.M. Joseph
New Delhi, Aug 14 : Newly appointed Supreme Court Judge K.M. Joseph on Tuesday said that he "feels like a baby again" since he is the junior-most Judge of the apex court.
"At the age of 60 plus, I feel like a baby again," Justice Joseph said at a felicitation function organised for new apex court Judges by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), which was his first public appearance after taking oath as the 25th Judge of the Supreme Court.
He said: "I am far too conscious of my own limitations to be elevated to the highest court. It is indeed a great honour. It will be presumptuous on my part to even venture to make any promise. All that I can do is -- I hope and pray -- I will be true to the oath which I have taken and which will go a long way in dispensing justice."
The SCBA felicitated four new Judges -- Justices Indu Malhotra, Indira Banerjee, Vineet Saran and Justice Joseph.
The elevation of Justice Joseph -- who was Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court -- to the apex court was mired in controversy. The Supreme Court collegium had recommended his name for elevation on January 10 but the Centre sent it back for reconsideration.
The collegium recommendation was reiterated on July 17.
When President Kovind cleared the name of Justice Banerjee, Justice Saran and Justice Joseph for elevation, Justice Joseph's name was third in seniority.
Senior Judges met Chief Justice Dipak Misra to convey their dissatisfaction over the government's decision to place Justice Joseph in the third place for the swearing-in.
They maintained that he should be senior among the three as his name was first to be recommended and was re-recommended after the government raised objections.
Government sources, however, had maintained that the seniority of Judges is on an all-India basis and not based on the Supreme Court collegium's recommendation.
In 2016, Justice Joseph had quashed President's rule in Uttarakhand when he was the High Court Chief Justice.
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Gehlot changes profile pic to 'Save Aravalli', asks Centre to reconsider definition
Jaipur (PTI): Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Thursday urged the Centre to reconsider its definition of the Aravallis, warning that any damage to the mountain range posed a serious threat to the ecological future of north India.
Gehlot, a former Rajasthan chief minister, changed his social media profile picture in support of the nationwide 'SaveAravalli' campaign amid growing debate over mining and environmental safeguards in the Aravalli Range.
It was his symbolic protest against the new interpretation under which hills lower than 100 metres are no longer being recognised as part of the Aravalli system, he said.
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"The Aravalli cannot be judged by tape measures or height alone. It must be assessed by its ecological importance," Gehlot said, adding that the revised definition raised "a big question" over the future of north India.
Appealing to the Centre and the Supreme Court, Gehlot said the issue must be reconsidered in the interest of future generations and environmental security. He also urged citizens to participate in the campaign by changing their display pictures online to draw attention to the issue.
He said the Aravalli range functioned as a natural green wall against the expansion of the Thar desert and extreme heatwaves, protecting Delhi, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh. Opening up smaller hills and so-called gap areas for mining would allow desertification to advance rapidly, he warned.
Gehlot also flagged concerns over air pollution, saying the hills and forests of the Aravallis acted as the "lungs" of the National Capital Region by checking dust storms and absorbing pollutants.
"When pollution levels are so alarming even with the Aravalli standing, one can imagine how disastrous the situation will be without it," he said.
Highlighting the water crisis, the former chief minister said the rocky terrain of the Aravallis played a crucial role in groundwater recharge by channelising rainwater underground.
"If the hills are destroyed, drinking water shortages will intensify, wildlife will disappear and the entire ecology will be pushed into danger," he said.
Gehlot argued that, from a scientific perspective, the Aravallis was a continuous chain and that even smaller hillocks were as vital as higher peaks.
