New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI) Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Wednesday welcomed seven judges who were appointed to the Supreme Court in 2025 and said the collective work and wisdom of judges speaking in one voice will strengthen their commitment to constitutional principles.
The CJI said when he speaks with these judges, he finds their in-depth knowledge of law, constitutional principles and commitment to the institution and the cause of the common man.
“I normally think that the court is a vaulted structure. Each judge, all of us, have a distinct stone shaped by different hands and histories. It is the unique strength of each one of us that allows the art to stand. Remove one and the balance shifts,” he said.
The CJI was speaking at a function organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) to felicitate the seven judges — Justices K Vinod Chandran, Joymalya Bagchi, N V Anjaria, Vijay Bishnoi, A S Chandurkar, Alok Aradhe and Vipul M Pancholi — who were appointed to the apex court this year.
He said each of the seven judges has a depth of learning and a voice refined by their own long journeys in the legal profession and on the judicial side.
The CJI said their arrival in the Supreme Court does far more than adding to the numbers and gives a new direction in terms of qualitative and jurisprudential strength.
“You whether call them ‘Saptarishis’ or call them seven jewels, I am very happy to be the first among the very distinguished team of judges in the Supreme Court,” he said.
Justice Kant said the seven judges spoke during the function using different expressions, but in one voice.
“And that voice was the commitment to constitutional principles, their commitment and dedication to constitutional morality and also, their commitment to uplift the grandeur and the greater height of the Supreme Court, in which now they are an integral part,” he said.
The CJI said the collective work and wisdom of judges speaking in one voice “will undoubtedly strengthen our commitment” and also address the challenges that the institution faces.
He said the year 2025 is now drawing to a gentle close.
“I believe that the simple act of reflection on the entire year, when we evaluate ‘kya khoya kya paya’ (what was lost and what was gained), will allow us to step into the coming year with a clearer mind and a more generous heart,” the CJI said.
Speaking at the function, Justice Bagchi said there is a need for harmony between the judiciary and the legal community to ensure that justice reaches the poorest and weakest sections of the society.
“Every one of us, who administer justice as justices, are all lawyers at heart and it is our endeavour to go to the poorest, the last man in the queue and the weakest. That can only be achieved if we work in harmony,” he said.
“We need to stand up as a community, not as judges and lawyers in classification, but in unison, like two hands which clap, and that is how we can achieve the ultimate fruit of justice,” Justice Bagchi said.
Justice Pancholi said an independent judiciary is the cornerstone of a democratic society, but it must be accompanied by accountability.
“It is an acknowledgement that no achievement is solitary and no journey is travelling alone. An independent judiciary is the cornerstone of a democratic society, but independence must not exist in isolation. Rather, it must coexist with accountability,” he said.
Justice Pancholi added that each judgment is the outcome of rigorous debate, competing arguments and reasoned deliberations involving the bench and the bar.
“The true strength of the judiciary lies not in its power, but in its credibility, in the faith the citizens repose in its impartiality,” he said.
Besides the CJI and the seven judges, Attorney General R Venkataramani and SCBA president and senior advocate Vikas Singh addressed the gathering. PTI SKM ABA RC
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