SC bids adieu to Justice A S Bopanna after tenure of five years

New Delhi: Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud on Friday bid farewell to Supreme Court judge A S Bopanna, who will demit office on May 19, as he hailed the outgoing judge’s “authentic sense of justice”, punctuality and empathy.

Speaking at the farewell function organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association on the last working day of the top court before it closes for the summer vacation, the CJI said in his tenure of five years, Justice Bopanna authored more than 90 judgments in areas ranging from service to property to civil law, and his term symbolised integrity and an unwavering dedication to the rule of law. “In my view, Justice Bopanna is akin to Rahul Dravid -- our very own Mr Dependable of the Supreme Court. In my interactions with him, both on the bench and outside, I have been awestruck at his ability to maintain a balance between objectivity and empathy,” the CJI said in his address. A first-generation lawyer, Justice Bopanna was elevated as a Supreme Court judge on May 24, 2019.

In his address to the gathering, Justice Bopanna said it was “highly satisfying” for him to end his career as a judge of the country’s highest court.

Reflecting on his tenure in the Supreme Court, he said just as cricketer Sachin Tendulkar began his innings from zero in every match, each day was a new day and experience for him. “I remembered what Sachin Tendulkar had said when he was asked about his century of centuries. He said when I go in to bat the next time, in the next match, I have to again start from zero and the focus will be on that to build another innings and I cannot rest on the laurels of a century scored. It was a similar experience for me in the Supreme Court and each day was a new day and a learning experience,” he said.