Karnataka Rajyotsava Award recipient environmentalist commits suicide
Davanagere: Nature conservationist and Karnataka Rajyotsava Award recipient Saalumarada Veeraachaar (70) reportedly ended his life by hanging himself from a tree in the middle of the village on Monday night.
Saalumarada Veeraachaar, a popular figure in the state, was known for planting rows of trees and nurturing them in the regions surrounding the Davanagere and Harihara Taluk. Recognizing his efforts to preserve nature and his concern for the environment, the state government honoured him with the Karnataka Rajyotsava Award.
The senior environmentalist is said to have protested several times concerning the matter of the Mitlagatte Nyayabele Angadi. He had demanded that the Nyayabele Angadi should be entrusted to someone else. However, since his demands and requests were not fulfilled in this matter, a disheartened Veeraachaar took the drastic measure of ending his life by suicide, it is learned.
Learning the news of his suicide, the villagers have undertaken a protest. The protesters expressed their extreme anger that the demands of a Rajyotsava Awardee were not fulfilled in this issue. The Tahsildar and senior authorities visited the site and demanded justice.
The deceased is survived by his wife, two daughters, one son, and a legion of friends, relatives, and admirers.
Prominently known as Davanagere’s Mitlagatte Saalumarada Veeraachaar, the elderly nature conservationist has planted more than 3000 trees and raised them. His continuous efforts and service towards preserving nature have brought him hundreds of awards including the Rajyotsava Award.
It is learned that he had been protesting against an injustice happening at Nyayabele Angadi in Mitlagatte and sworn, “If the courts, people, and God do not provide justice, I will surrender myself to the noose.” When he did not receive the expected response in the matter, according to his oath, a disheartened Saalumarada Veeraachaar hung himself from a tree around 2 am on Monday.
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CJI's advice to aspirant: Join the bar, become a lawyer, don't hanker for judicial services post
New Delhi (PTI): She came to the Supreme Court seeking a re-evaluation of her paper in the examination for joining judicial services as a magistrate. What she got instead was a rejection — and a candid confession by the Chief Justice that he too had wanted to join the judicial services in his youth but was advised by a senior judge to become a lawyer instead.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi on Friday dismissed a plea filed by Prerna Gupta, the judicial services aspirant.
As Gupta pressed her case, the CJI intervened and said, "Let me share my personal story and I hope you will go happily as we cannot allow your petition."
He recounted his time as a final-year law student in 1984 when he wanted to become a judicial officer. As per requirement, he cleared the written test and was set to appear for an interview.
Judicial services is one of the two routes to become a judge after initially joining as a magistrate in lower court and thereafter rising through the ranks to become judge in a high court and possibly the Supreme Court.
The other route is to join the Bar, which means becoming a lawyer, and after building a reputation be picked from the Bar to become a judge at a senior level.
By the time the CJI's exam results came out, he had started practising at the Punjab and Haryana High Court when he was called for the interview.
The senior-most judge on the interview panel happened to be a judge before whom he had recently argued two significant matters.
"One of the matters was Sunita Rani vs Baldev Raj, where he had allowed my appeal in a matrimonial case and set aside the decree of divorce granted by the District Judge on the ground of schizophrenia," he noted.
Before the interview could take place, the judge called the young Surya Kant to his chamber and asked, 'Do you want to become a judicial officer?'
"I said 'yes.' He immediately said, 'Get out from (my) the chamber.'"
The courtroom fell silent as the CJI Justice described his initial heartbreak.
“I came out trembling. All my dreams were shattered. I thought he had snubbed me and that my career was over,” the CJI said.
However, the story took another turn the following day and the judge summoned him again, this time offering a piece of advice that would change the trajectory of his life.
“He said, ‘If you want to become (a judge), you are welcome. But my advice is, don’t become a judicial officer. The Bar is waiting for you,’” Justice Surya Kant recalled.
The CJI said he decided to skip his interview and didn't even tell his parents at first, fearing their disappointment, and instead chose to dedicate himself to his practice as an advocate.
“Now tell me did I make a bad right or bad decision,” the CJI asked and the litigant lawyer left the court with a smile on her face despite her case being dismissed.
Encouraging the petitioner to look toward the future rather than dwelling on the re-evaluation of a single paper, Justice Surya Kant said, "The Bar has much to offer."
