My shoulders broad enough to accept criticism: Outgoing CJI Chandrachud
"I am probably the most trolled judge"
New Delhi, Nov 8: Outgoing Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Friday said his shoulders are broad enough to accept all criticism as he believed in transparency in public life and the dogma that "sunlight is the best disinfectant".
Justice Chandrachud, who is the 50th CJI, also said he is probably one of the most trolled individuals and judges across the system. He then took a swipe at the social media trollers and said in a lighter vein that they will become "unemployed" from Monday.
The CJI made these remarks on his last working day in office.
Justice Chandrachud stepped into the shoes of his illustrious father Y V Chandrachud, who served as the longest CJI between 1978 and 1985, on November 9, 2022 and Friday was his last working day as he would superannuate on November 10, a Sunday.
"I just wanted to tell you that some of the changes we have made were in pursuance of my strong belief that sunlight is the best disinfectant. I know in so many which ways I've exposed my own personal life to public knowledge. When you expose your own life to public knowledge, you expose yourself to criticism, particularly in today's age of social media. But so be it, my shoulders are broad enough to accept all the criticism that we have faced," he said at a farewell function organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA).
Justice Chandrachud in the recent weeks had faced criticism from certain quarters after he invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Ganesh puja to his home and for his remarks he had prayed to God for a solution to the vexed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute and that God will find a way if one has faith.
"I only say this, I'm sure all of you are aware of the amount of trolling that I have received. I am probably one of the most trolled individuals and judges across the system….But on a lighter vein, I'm just wondering what will happen from Monday, because all those who trolled me will be unemployed."
Heading a four-judge ceremonial bench, also comprising CJI-designate Sanjiv Khanna, earlier in the day, Justice Chandrachud turned emotional and philosophical and said all human beings are pilgrims and have to leave after a point.
"We are here as pilgrims, birds for short passage of time, do our work and leave....but the work which we do can leave a mark in the institution. Of course, none of us is that important to feel that the Court will not survive without me. Great judges have come here in the past and passed on the baton to the succeeding generations...in that way, we sustain the institution, with different people with diverse viewpoints coming to the Court and passing the baton along," he told the court.
Justice Chandrachud also said there was no greater feeling than being able to serve those in need and people he never knew or met.
At the SCBA farewell function, the CJI said, "when our memories outweigh our dreams, then it means we have grown old. I hope I continue dreaming about the smaller things in life from now on. Every person, who has had a leadership role in an institution, tends to feel 'after me, the deluge' and how untrue it is. There is never a deluge."
Justice Chandrachud shared his life experiences from his childhood to his marriage and journey after entering into the legal field to becoming chief justice of Allahabad High Court to the head of country's judiciary.
The CJI, who set a record of sorts by sitting in 38 Constitution benches during his eight-year-long tenure as an apex court judge, said in the last two years around 1.07 lakh cases were disposed off by the apex court including 21,358 bail matters.
On his last working day, he highlighted the work done during his tenure and was all praise for his colleague judges including CJI designate Sanjiv Khanna.
Justice Chandrachud, who received standing ovation from lawyers, judges, staff of the Supreme Court and high courts and his family members said, "Institutions are resilient and they continue. But I leave the institution of the Supreme Court in confidence and steadfast confidence after having worked with brother Sanjiv Khanna for such a long time that this court is in solid and stable hands."
Giving the figures from November 9, 2022, when he assumed the office of CJI, Justice Chandrachud said till November 1, 2024 a total of 1.11 lakh cases were filed during the period and 5.33 lakh cases were listed for hearing. “Out of the 1.11 lakh cases which were filed during this period, 1.07 lakh cases were disposed off,” he said, adding that this shows the sense of faith which the lawyers and the public have in the apex court.
He also thanked the bar for its support in all the initiatives including digitisation, taken by the Supreme Court administration.
CJI-designate Khanna and bar leaders, including the attorney general, the solicitor general and SCBA president Kapil Sibal lauded the "monumental" contributions of Justice Chandrachud.
Justice Khanna said the CJI worked on a mission to improve the apex court and pursued his goal of making it "a sanctuary of inclusivity", which was accessible to all.
Sibal said Justice Chandrachud allowed people to criticise judges and transformed the judicial landscape by allowing online access to court proceedings and addressing complexities that previous chief justices had not tackled.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
