Thread by @barandbench

High Court Bar Association of Nagpur, Bombay High Court will shortly begin felicitation function for Chief Justice of India UU Lalit.

Supreme Court judge Justice BR Gavai is chief guest for the evening.

#CJIUULalit #SupremeCourt #BombayHighCourt

Chief Justice Dipankar Datta of Bombay High Court and former Supreme Court Justice Vikas Sirpurkar are Guests of Honour.

Other judges of High Court who would be present are:
Justice PB Varale, Justice SB Shukre, Justice AS Chandurkar and former judge Justice BP Dharmadhikari.

Event will begin at 6.30 pm and will be live streamed. Link:

#CJIUULalit #SupremeCourt #BombayHighCourt

Justices SV Gangapurwala, Justices Bharati Dangre are here.

CJI Lalit and guests of honour have arrived. The event will begin shortly. The guests are being escorted to the dias.

#CJIUULalit

The guests have taken seat by the dias.

#CJIUULalit

Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni, Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh and Assistant Solicitor General Nandesh Deshpande, Nagpur Bench are present in the audience.

#CJIUULalit

Bombay High Court judges in audience.

#BombayHighCourt

The guests are being welcomed by members of the bar association.

#CJIUULalit

High Court Bar association president Atul Pande giving welcome speech.

#CJIUULalit

Pande: Nagpur lawyers had great pleasure in briefing him as counsel in Supreme Court. Milords gave up his lucrative practice to become judge. After taking over as CJI, he seems to have a blueprint ready on what is to be done.

Former judge Justice Sirpurkar: I have been given 10 mins and CJI Lalit appeared before me as a lawyer. And he always won almost all cases. He had an immaculate style and a style of placing forth his point.

#CJIUULalit

Former judge Sirpurkar: He knew what the judges wanted, and knew when to stop. I have seen Justice Lalit’s father. I called him Umesh Bhaiyya. He was a master in criminal law. I appeared before him when he was judge.

#CJIUULalit

Sirpurkar: I was possibly the only judge in Supreme Court who pronounced his surname correctly.

#CJIUULalit

Sirpurkar: Under you, the judiciary is likely to see a new light, quick consideration, the uprightness of the judiciary. This judiciary has bailed out this country during emergency. I am a great admirer of persons in judiciary, of judges, lawyers, and litigants.

Sirpurkar: On his first presence as CJI, I was happy to read his father was present in the court in his full robes as senior advocate, sat there for 40-45 mins and then bowed to the chair and left.

Sirpurkar: Very few people have the fortune to see their son rise to the post of CJI.

#CJIUULalit

CJ Bombay High Court Dipankar Datta addressing the audience.

#BombayHighCourt #CJIUULalit

From the applause I realised that I correctly pronounced the name of our captain. I appeared before Justice Sirpurkar, but he doesn’t pronounce my surname correctly (laughs): CJ Datta

That is fine, India is a diverse country. Justice Sirpurkar has command over Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati, Tamil, etc: CJ Datta

CJ Datta asks audience to give a standing ovation to CJI Lalit

#SupremeCourt #BombayHighCourt #CJIUULalit

I had invited CJI Lalit to attend inaugural function of Goa building. I went to his office and saw paintings. Here I saw a person who is an art lover. After sometime, he came in and asked me, 'Sir how are you?' I never expected a Supreme Court judge to address me as Sir: CJ Datta

Narrates story of Porus and Alexander. Porus was asked how does he want to be treated. He said, treat me like a king. Treat like how you expect to be treated. I was there as CJ of Bombay High Court. It is Justice Lalit who gave me the respect. Sadly this is waning: CJ Datta

CJI Lalit was born in Solapur. He went to Bombay for practice, then went to Delhi as counsel; rose to be a senior counsel and now CJI: CJ Datta

During times when there was no virtual court hearings, he used to appear in three different High Courts in one day: CJ Datta

He used to appear in 15-20 matters the board and he would be fully prepared for all of it. If he could not appear in any matter due to cases clashing, the standing instruction to the clerk was to refund the entire amount: CJ Datta on CJI Lalit

#SupremeCourt #BombayHighCourt

He would make his submissions and if the judge did not agree to one point, then he would move on to next and after finishing just sit down.

It is important to know the law, and more important to know who is the judge: CJ Datta

I find two similarities between Justice Lalit and me. We are both born on 9th. I am fond of ice creams, so is he.

In Nagpur, Justice Lalit would enjoy most flavours of Dinshaw ice creams: CJ Datta

Simplicity, humility, kind heartedness are there in one human; he is at the forefront: CJ Datta

It is said that behind every successful man is the hands of the lady. What I have been told by Justice Sirpurkar is that madam left practice to bring up their two sons. She has opened a preschool, and it was adjudged the best preschool in the country: CJ Datta

Although the tenure is short, that has not deterred him from taking steps. Every step is being taken for the downtrodden and marginalised community and provide them justice: CJ Datta

Milord is aware of the shortcomings faced by shortage of judges. I am sure that in future there will be sufficient no of judges in Bombay High Court which will help in delivering justice and also relieve my fellow judges who work untiringly: CJ Datta

CJ Datta concludes.

Supreme Court judge Justice BR Gavai begins his address.

It is a matter of great pride for all of us that we have assembled here to felicitate a person close to our heart. He wasn’t born here, nor did he have a long practice here. He did his schooling here. He has a big circle of friends in Nagpur: Justice Gavai

It is difficult to give speech after Justice Sirpurkar and Justice Datta who have done deep research on him: Justice Gavai

We have read about his contributions as lawyer, as judge, his works as amicus, giving up lucrative practice. He has a pleasing personality, calmness and warmth: Justice BR Gavai

When I became judge, it was during vacation. After vacation, regular courts started. He came and said congratulations. I asked him why, he said that we must congratulate for each morning, and we are fortunate. So each morning we judges congratulate each other: Justice Gavai

We see the humility in him. I have seen it for the last 3 years. He is friendly, possesses a sharp brilliant mind, he is witty, well read, has deep knowledge in Sanskrit: Justice Gavai

#SupremeCourt #CJIUULalit #BombayHighCourt

He narrated the Atharva Shirshak in such a calm voice. It is surprising that a lawyer like him has such knowledge of Sanskrit. Though he is deeply religious he is truly secular: Justice Gavai

It is a matter of great privilege that this function is being held in a place in Nagpur which he worships: Justice Gavai

When he took over NALSA, people came to know of NALSA. For 42 days, he was travelling to nook and corner of India to inform people of their rights. He would work for 5 days and then from Friday to Sunday he travelled: Justice Gavai

He personally visited place. Under NALSA, three major events were held. Chief justices meeting which was inaugurated by the president, Then one event in Jaipur and then a mega conference happened recently before becoming the CJI: Justice Gavai

When he became CJI, he not only got into the running train he made it the bullet train. He is the head of family of not just Supreme Court but the whole of the judiciary in the country: Justice Gavai

He hears ideas of all judges. He held a full court meeting of all judges hours after he took over as CJI: Justice Gavai

When meetings were held in the past, it was mostly for assignment. But when Lalit joined, he took suggestions even from junior judges: Justice Gavai

The first problem was of pending old cases, because those matters were never touched. Mondays to Friday was full of miscellaneous matters for admitting petitions. Litigants would be waiting for their matters to be heard. He changed that: Justice Gavai

Monday and Friday are miscellaneous days, but the other days we cater to old matters (regular hearing cases) in the morning. He said that there will be six 3 judges benches for answering references. After long, we are seeing Constitution Benches being formed: Justice Gavai

Because of his efforts, matters which were pending for 10-12 years were decided in 4 days: Justice Gavai

I am sure in this short period he will bring in a new era of transparency, hearing old matters, reduce pendency. Your tenure will be a guiding star for others: Justice Gavai

Justice Gavai concludes address.

Former CJI SA Bobde has sent a message which is being read out.

"It is indeed a matter of honour that someone so intimately connected to the bar association is in the office. I heartily congratulate him for his appointment as CJI"

Felicitation of CJI UU Lalit

CJI UU Lalit commences his address.

My esteemed colleague Justice Gavai, my lady in life, my wife, Chief Justice Dipankar Datta: CJI UU Lalit

(pronounces it as Dawtto as in Bengali; appreciative laugher from the audience as it is the correct pronunciation)

Other members on the dais and off the daas, lawyers, etc. Two illustrious names in the audience, AG, we went to same school in Solapur and ASG Anil Singh: CJI Lalit

It is nostalgic, especially after the incidents shared by Justice Sirpurkar and CJ Datta: CJI Lalit

I have photos of 10 years back, where I and Justice Sirpurkar were sharing the dais for an event by the State bar association. Very nice place and people: CJI Lalit

My father was sworn in, in 1974. I had never seen my father work as a judge. When his term was about to expire, news started spreading that he won’t be continuing as judge of high court: CJI Lalit

That day I came to Nagpur Bench. I saw lawyers hustling bustling out of the court for first time and a judge sitting on the dais. That was my first brush with litigation: CJI Lalit

I was never a member of this bar association, but I have been associated. I have appeared before this bench. There are so many judges before whom I have appeared, fought battles with many lawyers. It was all part of the progression of life: CJI Lalit

There have been so many associates. Mr Kumbhakoni and I went to the same school. This association gives a strength. Every person is a book, and it is a great opportunity for guiding you in life: CJI Lalit

I have been fortunate, I come from a family of lawyers. My grandfather started from Solapur, it is 102 years of unbroken chain. And as Justice Sirpurkar said, I am the happiest man because that chain will continue even after I retire: CJI Lalit

There is a poem by Rudyard Kipling. It is not what you have covered, it is how you cover that matters. I have had the blessings of elders and everybody around me, at the bar and in normal walks of life. They have provided me strength and offered a helping hand: CJI Lalit

Of all the persons I must thank my wife. She has stood by me like a rock. She understands even before I say something. That is our bond: CJI Lalit

CJI Lalit concludes.

#SupremeCourtOfIndia #BombayHighCourt