Judges should be fearless in their decisions: SC's Justice N V Ramana
New Delhi: The senior most judge of the Supreme Court Justice N V Ramana has said the greatest strength of the judiciary is the faith of people in it and judges must be steadfast in holding on to their principles and fearless in their decisions to withstand all pressures and odds.
Justice Ramana's comments hold importance in the backdrop of a recent unprecedented move by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy of making allegations against him in a letter to Chief Justice of India S A Bobde.
Speaking at a condolence meet on Saturday for former Supreme Court judge AR Lakshmanan who passed away on August 27, Justice Ramana said, The greatest strength of the judiciary is the faith of people in it. Faith, confidence and acceptability cannot be commanded, they have to be earned .
Justice Ramana's remarks at a public function are the first since the controversy broke out after the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister wrote the letter.
The senior judge added that there are innumerable qualities that a person needs to live what can be called a good life: humility, patience, kindness, a strong work ethic and the enthusiasm to constantly learn and improve oneself .
Most importantly, particularly for a judge, one must be steadfast in holding on to their principles and fearless in their decisions. It is an important quality for a judge to withstand all pressures and odds and to stand up bravely against all obstacles, he said.
Recalling the former judge, Justice Ramana said, We should all take inspiration from his words and should strive to commit a vibrant and independent judiciary which is required in the current times .
He said his belief is that Justice Lakshmanan epitomized all the required qualities of being one of the best judges the country has seen.
Justice Ramana said, Our values are ultimately our greatest wealth, and we must never forget the same and added that Justice Lakshmanan wore his values on his sleeves and he has learnt immensely from him about being a good person and a judge.
Justice Lakshmanan, who hailed from Tamil Nadu, was appointed as a Permanent Judge of the Madras High Court in 1990 and he became Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court and also served as Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
He was elevated as a Judge of the Supreme Court in 2002 and served till his superannuation in 2007.
During his tenure as Supreme Court judge, Justice Lakshmanan was part of several Constitution benches and contributed in more than 200 judgments touching upon wide-ranging issues, including taxation, management of religious institutions, service matters, labour laws and employee welfare.
After his retirement, he was appointed as the Chairman of the 18th Law Commission of India and submitted 32 comprehensive reports to the Government of India recommending various measures to improve the judicial system in the country.
Several lawyers' bodies from across the country including Bar Council of India, Supreme Court Bar Association, Supreme Court Advocates-On-Record Association (SCAORA) and Delhi High Court Bar Association have condemned the act of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister of writing the unwarranted letter to the chief justice making allegations against the sitting apex court judge.
In an unprecedented move, the chief minister wrote the letter dated October 6 to the CJI, alleging that the Andhra Pradesh High Court was being used to "destabilise and topple my democratically elected government."
He had requested the CJI to look into the matter and consider initiating steps "as may be considered fit and proper to ensure that the state judiciary's neutrality is maintained".
The chief minister had alleged that the senior apex court judge had proximity to TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu and that a "former judge of the honourable Supreme Court placed this fact on record".
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Railways to run special trains for elections in Karnataka
Mangaluru (Karnataka), Apr 24: Anticipating a surge in travel demand during the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and aiming to ease the burden of summer travel, railway authorities have unveiled special train services connecting Bengaluru with Mangaluru Central.
A press release issued by the South Western Railway said Train No. 06553 Bengaluru - Mangaluru Central Special is set to depart from Sir M Visvesvaraya Terminal in Bengaluru at 6:00 PM on April 25 (Thursday), reaching Mangaluru Central at 10 AM the following day.
Train No. 06554 Mangaluru Central - Bengaluru Special will depart from Mangaluru Central at 12 PM on April 26 (Friday), arriving at Sir. M Visvesvaraya Terminal in Bengaluru at 3 AM the next day.
Additionally, South Western Railway authorities have announced the Yesvantpur – Kundapur special express to connect Bengaluru with Udupi. Train No. 06547 will leave Yesvantpur in Bengaluru on April 25 at 11:20 PM, arriving at Kundapur the following day at 10:45 AM.
The return journey from Kundapur to Yesvantpur, Train No. 06548, is scheduled to depart from Kundapur at 11:20 AM on April 26, reaching Yesvantpur at 9:50 PM on the same day.
These special trains have been introduced with voting slated for 14 out of the 28 Lok Sabha seats on April 26. The aim is to facilitate seamless travel for voters from the coastal region, Railways said.
