SC judge Indira Banerjee demits office, hopes appointment of more women as judges
New Delhi (PTI): Outgoing senior woman Supreme Court judge Justice Indira Banerjee Friday hoped that more women would be appointed as judges of the top judiciary in the coming days.
Justice Banerjee, who is the fifth senior-most judge in the apex court would be demitting office after serving for over four years.
Besides her, other women judges in the apex court are Justices Hima Kohli, B.V. Nagarathna, and Bela M Trivedi.
Justice Banerjee was the eighth woman judge to be appointed to the Supreme Court and now with her retirement, there would be three women judges in the apex court.
The Supreme Court, which came into being on January 26, 1950, has seen very few women judges since its inception and in the last over 72 years -- only 11, starting with Justice M Fathima Beevi in 1989.
Other female judges appointed to the apex court were -- Justices Sujata V Manohar, Ruma Pal, Gyan Sudha Misra, Ranjana P Desai, R Banumathi, and Indu Malhotra.
On the last working day, Justice Banerjee shared the ceremonial bench with Chief Justice of India U U Lalit who praised her contribution to the judiciary in her over two-decade-long career.
We all will be missing our sister, Justice Banerjee. In twenty years of judicial career, she has given everything. Hard-working -- yes. Intelligent -- No doubt. She has all the qualities which a judge should have. We all will be missing her on the bench and of course, she will always remain in our hearts. So, good luck sister! Wish you all the best!, said the CJI.
Justice Banerjee, who was elevated to the top court on August 7, 2018, from Madras High Court where she was the Chief Justice, acknowledged the assistance of the bar in judgements delivered by her.
She recalled her first day in the top court as the judge saying that it seemed just like the other day when she was sharing the bench with Justice (since retired) Dipak Misra on August 7, 2018.
I acknowledge the assistance which I have received from the members of the bar. If I gave judgments, it was because of their (lawyers') assistance, she said, adding that the apex court bar is very strong, independent and intelligent .
I do hope that there will be more women in the future...hope there is cooperation for the weaker, and there be equality and justice in the shortest span of time. Thank you all, she said in her concluding remarks.
The retirement of justice Banerjee would bring down the number of serving judges in the top court to 29 against the sanctioned strength of 34 including the CJI.
The SCBA (Supreme Court Bar Association) would hold a formal function to bid farewell to Justice Banerjee, the senior judge among the four women judges in the top court, in the evening.
As per the Constitution, Supreme Court judges retire at the age of 65.
Attorney General K K Venugopal, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, SCBA president, and senior advocate Vikas Singh paid rich tributes to Justice Banerjee on her last day in office.
We have very few women judges on the bench and it is very sad that we are losing one of the best amongst them, the top law officer said.
Justice Banerjee, born on September 24, 1957, did LL.B from the College of Law of Calcutta University and enrolled as an advocate on July 5, 1985.
She practiced both in the Original and Appellate Sides of the Calcutta High Court in all branches of law except Criminal law, with appearances in the Supreme Court, other Courts, and Tribunals.
She was elevated as a permanent Judge of Calcutta High Court on February 5, 2002, was transferred as the Judge of the Delhi High Court on August 8, 2016, and also became the chairperson of the Delhi State Legal Services Authority.
She was sworn in as Chief Justice of Madras High Court on April 5, April 2017, and was later elevated as Supreme Court Judge on August 7, 2018.
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Akash Singh says signature celebration fuels motivation, reinforces dominance
Lucknow (PTI): Pacer Akash Singh caught the eye with his unique celebration during Lucknow Super Giants' win over Chennai Super Kings, pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket after a wicket, a gesture he said was aimed at "motivating" himself and "asserting dominance" over batters.
The left-arm pacer pulled out a scrappy piece of paper after each of the three wickets he took in LSG seven-wicket win over CSK, with the message reading: "Akki on fire -- Akash knows how to take wickets in T20 cricket.
The 24-year-old, who began his IPL journey with Rajasthan Royals and was part of Chennai Super Kings’ title-winning campaign in 2023 before moving to Lucknow Super Giants, registered his best IPL figures with 3 for 26 on Friday.
"'Akki knows how to take wickets in T20 cricket', right?" Akash said when asked about the message on the piece of paper, adding that it serves as a source of motivation and helps him focus on dominating batters and delivering stronger performances for the team.
"Different things motivate different people. Some days I show the paper, some days I don't, but it reflects my mindset on that particular day. When you carry a piece of paper with something written on it, you manifest things and the most important part is when those manifestations actually materialise," he added.
Akash, who hails from Bharatpur in Rajasthan, said the strong backing from the Lucknow Super Giants support staff over the last two years had played a huge role in his growth as a cricketer.
"I've been with LSG for two years and the most important thing has been the backing from the coaches, even when I'm not in the playing XI. This year we have Bharat Arun sir, last year Zaheer sir was there...Tom Moody. The way they guide us, prepare us and keep us ready for opportunities is very important when there are 25 players in the squad," he said.
"When you are not playing, you naturally seek backing and every player wants to make the most of the opportunities he gets. The support from the captain also matters a lot and with Rishabh bhaiya backing you, the confidence grows and you are able to perform better," Akash said, referring to Rishabh Pant.
Akash said Pant had asked him to trust his strengths ahead of the clash against CSK.
"He told me that the new ball is my strength and that I can swing it both ways. So I just tried to make the best use of my skills. The wicket also had good bounce, so I focused on using the bouncer effectively,” added Akash.
On his success against CSK, Akash said his experience of playing in the IPL since 2020, including a stint with CSK, helped him understand the opposition batters better, while backing his own strengths with the ball also played a key role in his impressive spell.
"Obviously, when you play in the IPL and have shared the dressing room with some players, you understand their strengths and weaknesses. My focus was first to back my own strengths, then exploit their weaknesses and also make the best use of what the wicket was offering," Akash said.
Akash said he had sensed over the last two-three games that an opportunity could come his way after being repeatedly told to "be ready", though he admitted he was unfortunate not to get a chance earlier.
"Two days before the match, during practice, I was told to be ready," he said.
Clarifying that he had not been carrying the piece of paper in anticipation, Akash said he often notes down thoughts that could help improve his game..
"Whenever I’m alone or about to sleep, any thought that comes to my mind which can help my cricket, I write it down. The other night I got this thought and jotted it down on paper," he added.
