New Delhi: Delhi High Court Chief Justice Dipak Misra, who has been elevated to the Superme Court and is in line to become the Chief Justice of India, on Wednesday said if he is reborn to be a judge, he would want another stint in the HC.
"I have two prayers to the Lord Almighty. One, the High Court of Delhi, at no point of time, should succumb to the hydraulic pressures of time and it should never say `it is a matter of history`. "Secondly, a personal one, if I had to be born once more and to be a judge, I would like to be a judge in the High Court of Delhi because there is nothing like it on the surface of the earth," an emotional Justice Misra said.
Justice Misra, who decided over 5000 cases as the head of the High Court, is likely to be sworn-in as the judge of the apex court on October 10 and could become the Chief Justice of India in his over seven years tenure there.
Justice A K Sikri, the senior-most judge of the High Court, initiated the full court reference organised to bid farewell to Justice Misra by saying that the outgoing Chief Justice possessed eight qualities which made him "attain greatness and great heights."
He also referred to various leading judgments pronounced by the outgoing Chief Justice and termed him as judge who is "legalist and pragmatist." "The Chief Justice is a pro-citizen judge as would be apparent from his judgment in Court on its Own Motion vs State where in he held that FIRs should be uploaded on the Delhi Police website in 24 hours of their lodging so that the accused can download the same and file appropriate applications before the court for redressal of their grievances," Justice Sikri said.
Speaking on the occasion, Delhi High Court Bar Association President Amarjit Singh Chandhiok lauded the efforts of Justice Misra in making the Mediation Centre and Lok Adalats more effective, which helped in clearing backlogs.
"Today our law is still inadequate and the remedy is through long-winded litigation, no faster solution is in near sight. The judicial system can only do what the law empowers it to do. Mediation centre, with you guidance, and leadership of the overseeing committee has grown as an institution," Chandhiok said.
PTI