Stood up for certain values; nothing personal: Justice Chelameswar
New Delhi, May 19 : Supreme Court judge Justice Jasti Chelameswar, who retired on Friday, has said that he stood up for certain "issues and values" wherever he perceived things were going wrong and had nothing personal against anyone in the system.
"I stood up for certain issues and values. Wherever I perceived that things were going wrong, I stood up, I raised questions... If something is good, it is to be preserved. If something is doubtful, it is to be checked and rectified, I had nothing personal against anyone in the system," Justice Chelameswar said in a farewell event on Friday.
He also said the younger generation of lawyers has supported him in "democratising the institution", but acknowledged constitutional lawyers and jurists attacked him from every side.
"What is the law or the scripture which says judges cannot hold press conferences? They shouldn't hold a press conference to defend their judgments, I knew that when I opened my mouth I would have to go through all this and I was willing to take it...," he added.
Justice Chelameswar had turned down the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA)'s request to participate in a farewell function it wanted to arrange for him, saying he wanted his retirement to be a "private affair". However, later in the evening on Friday, he attended a reception organised by Lawyers Collective.
On his last working day on Friday, he shared a bench with Chief Justice Dipak Misra, a custom and practice of the Supreme Court.
The 65-year-old judge has been at loggerheads with Justice Misra over the functioning of the apex court including the allocation of sensitive cases and on recommendation of judges for appointment to higher judiciary.
He was at the forefront of the unprecedented press conference on January 12 saying "all was not well" on the administrative side of the court.
At the gathering of Lawyer Collective, an advocacy NGO founded by activist senior lawyers Indira Jaising and Anand Grover, on Friday, Justice Chelameswar said in the last six months, wherever he went in the country, people have come up to him and said: "We are glad you did it".
He said he was willing to face the consequences of his actions, whether it be his abstention from collegium meetings after the NJAC judgment or the press conference he held.
He told the younger generation present at the gathering that they required to have courage and determination to fight the system if they want to bring a good change.
"But if you are convinced on principle that the fight is to be carried on for good change, please go ahead. If you have an opinion, speak up," he added.
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K’taka cabinet approves cricket matches at M. Chinnaswamy stadium: Reports
Belagavi: The state cabinet under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has reportedly given its nod to permit cricket matches at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, subject to certain conditions.
The decision is learnt to have been taken after a meeting held at the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha here on Thursday.
Reports indicate that Home Minister Dr G. Parameshwara has been directed to formulate rules along with a referendum to hold a cricket match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The cabinet’s approval comes subject to conditions, considering the report of Justice D’Cunha, which was prepared after the stampede.
The June 4 stampede during the celebrations for RCB’s maiden IPL title killed 11 people, which raised serious questions over the stadium's capability to host large-scale events.
Will RCB be playing at their home ground next year?
Stating that the “state had learned from the tragedy,” Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Monday, December 08, dismissed the talks about shifting Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s home games out of the city.
He also said that the Chinnaswamy Stadium is the “pride of Bengaluru and Karnataka” and vowed that IPL fixtures will continue to be played there.
On Wednesday, Shivakumar met the newly elected KSCA president Venkatesh Prasad at the Circuit House in Belagavi and reiterated that cricket matches, including IPL fixtures, will not be shifted out of Bengaluru.
“We have no intention of stopping matches at Chinnaswamy Stadium, but crowd control measures and the Michael D. Cunha committee’s recommendations will be implemented in phases,” he told reporters.
Shivakumar said the government is committed to promoting cricket and supporting fans while safeguarding the state’s reputation, adding that Prasad had sought the government’s cooperation and agreed to work jointly on the issue.
