Justice Ahmadi inherited more than 1 lakh cases. Brought it down to 28,000 when he retired

Challenging the govt’s takeover of disputed land in Ayodhya to rejecting the collegium system in the Second Judges case, Ahmadi stood by his principles.

The first Justice AM Ahmadi Memorial Lecture was held in Delhi earlier this month. It was on ‘Secularism and the Indian Constitution’. | Sagrika Kissu | ThePrint

New Delhi: The event started with a sharp critique of the Supreme Court’s 2019 Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case judgment by former SC judge Rohinton Fali Nariman, before transitioning into a book launch. Legal eagles, including top high court and Supreme Court lawyers and judges, gathered at the Royal Ballroom of the Imperial Hotel on the evening of 5 December to discuss the legacy of AM Ahmadi—the 26th Chief Justice of India who served between 1994 and 1997.

Speaking at the first Justice AM Ahmadi Memorial Lecture on ‘Secularism and the Indian Constitution’, former SC Judge Nariman called the 2019 judgment the “great travesty of justice.”

“A great travesty of justice was that secularism was not given its due by these judgments. Today we find hydra heads popping up all over the country. We find suit after suit not only against mosques but also against dargahs. All this, according to me, could lead to communal disharmony,” said Justice Nariman, as the Royal Ballroom erupted into applause.

The event marked the release of The Fearless Judge: The Life and Times of Justice A.M. Ahmadi by Insiyah Vahanvaty. Vahanvaty is a journalist and Ahmadi’s granddaughter. The book offers a rare glimpse into the life of Ahmadi as the Chief Justice of India. She’s written an intimate portrait drawn from Ahmadi’s private writing and family memories.

The opening remarks were made by senior advocate and member of Rajya Sabha, Abhishek Manu Singhvi. The foreword to the book has been written by former CJI DY Chandrachud and Justice Nariman. Chandrachud calls Ahmadi an “institution builder and a mentor to many”.

“We remember Justice Ahmadi as the judge who, while at the Supreme Court, was part of 811 judgments, authoring 232 of them. He gave secularism in India a firm basis in the principles of ‘accommodation and tolerance’,” wrote Chandrachud.

Case cracker

Justice Ahmadi was involved in several critical cases that defined India’s jurisprudence. From the SR Bommai case that limited the central government’s powers vis a vis dismissal of a state government and the Indra Sawhney vs the Union of India to the L Chandra Kumar case that reinforced the independence of judiciary and separation of powers with the executive and others that shaped reservation policies.

It was Ahmadi’s dissenting voice that defined him, said Vahanvaty. Be it challenging the government’s takeover of the disputed land in Ayodhya or rejecting the collegium system in the Second Judges case, Vahanvaty said, Justice Ahmadi stood by his principles, especially when it meant standing against the tide.

And this is how he earned the moniker of “case cracker”.

Vahanvaty who was in conversation with senior journalist Vikram Chandra said that the idea of writing a biography on Ahmadi came from her grandfather’s intention to write a book one day.

“He had started writing a few notes. And I knew that he was doing so with an intention to transform it into a book one day. So, when he passed away last year I started seeing publishers who wanted a book on that and that’s how it happened,” said Vahanvaty to a round of applause.

In the book, she talks about Justice Ahmadi’s journey to become CJI and how his childhood experiences had a key role to play.

“Justice Ahmadi’s father was a sub-judge in pre-Independence India, which essentially meant he was posted in small towns and villages. And this allowed Justice Ahmadi to see the true character of India,” said Vahanvaty, adding that her grandfather had seen the ugliest face of caste through his childhood travels and was vocal against caste-based discrimination throughout his life.

Bringing computers to the SC

Recalling his interaction with Ahmadi, senior advocate and member of Rajya Sabha, Abhishek Manu Singhvi shared how courteous the former CJI was with even the youngest member of the team.

“Firstly, he was unfailingly courteous to the youngest member of the team. Secondly, he displayed his remarkable command over the nitty gritty of civil and criminal procedure. Third, he was patient and ready to make drastic changes even if the suggestions of changes came from the juniors,” said Singhvi before the gathering that also had law students.

Singhvi recounted how Justice Ahmadi had inherited 1,20,000 cases and he got them down to 28,000. “It was quite a miracle.”

Vahavanty said that during his tenure he welcomed the use of technology and computers started being used in an extensive way.

“It was the very first time computers were used in the Supreme Court. Judgments were digitised to ensure that they were accessible not only to the bar and the bench but also, to the academicians, journalists.”

However, it was the speech by Justice Nariman that kept everyone talking. Some of the guests were of the opinion that Justice Nariman should not have touched the Babri Masjid topic, while others hailed his courage for talking about the 2019 judgment.

Before concluding his speech, Justice Nariman quoted former Supreme Court judge Chinnappa Reddy, drawing an inference about what India stands for:

“Our tradition teaches tolerance; our philosophy preaches tolerance; and our Constitution practices tolerance; let us not dilute it.”

(Edited by Theres Sudeep)