New Delhi: Judges cannot hide their heads like an ostrich and say nothing is happening to the judiciary as the integrity of the institution cannot be put at stake under any circumstances, said Justice Deepak Gupta who retired Wednesday.
Justice Gupta became the first Supreme Court judge to get a virtual send off given the Covid-19 lockdown. Supreme Court Bar Association organised a ‘Zoom party’ for Gupta, as he completed 42 years of service.
The function was attended by CJI SA Bobde, several judges, Attorney General K.K. Venugopal, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, SCBA President Dushyant Dave, along with other advocates.
Gupta was appointed Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh High Court in 2016 and made a Supreme Court judge in 2017.
In his farewell address, he said though he has been called as an activist judge and also an activist lawyer, he had never stepped beyond the boundaries of the law as he knew his limit.
When a judge sits in court, he has to decide cases strictly in accordance with the law and the Constitution is the “Gita, Bible, Quran, Guru Granth Sahib” and other such holy books for a judge, he added.
Read the full text of his farewell here:
(With PTI inputs)
Also read: Here’s the text of Justice Deepak Gupta’s speech on sedition law being abused and misused