The Delhi High Court said goodbye on Wednesday to Justice Siddharth Mridul, who will now be taking over as the Chief Justice of the Manipur HC. Justice Mridul, who was elevated from the bar to an additional judge of the Delhi High Court in 2008, became a permanent judge in 2009.
During his 15-year-long tenure at the Delhi High Court, he extensively dealt with habeas corpus and criminal matters.
Justice Mridul, known as one of the most “happy-go-lucky” ones on the bench, was also very popular during his times at the bar, winning the elections twice.
But, having a strong grip over sections and jurisprudence in criminal law is just one side of the coin. The other side explores his deep love for Sher-o-Shayari, especially being a great fan of the classic Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib.
His love for poetry was also reflected during court hours and sometimes found its way into his judgments.
In his farewell speech at the full court reference, the departing judge said, “My late father has been my role model and my inspiration all along my journey as a person, as a lawyer, and then as a judge of this court. For those who may not know, my late father was a judge of the High Court of Judicature at Bombay where I spent my childhood and where I completed high school. My father from a very young age instilled in me the qualities of kindness, compassion, and zeal to serve humanity. I imbibed from him forthrightness, and fearlessness as well as unity of thought, speech and action.”
Expressing his love for Delhi and the fact that he will miss it, Justice Mridul, quoting famous poet Ibn-e-Insha, said:
“Uss shaam wo rukhsat ka samaa yaad rahega
wo shehar wo koocha wo makaan yaad rahega
wo tees ki ubhri thi idhar yaad rahegi
wo dard ke uthaa tha yahaan yaad rahega
kuch meer ke abyaat thhey kuch faiz ke misre
ek dard ka tha jin mein bayaan yaad rahega.”
“I will miss Delhi, which is a beautiful city, and all the courts that I have practised in Delhi as a lawyer, the Supreme Court of India downwards including the tribunals, some of which do not exist anymore,” he added.
During the farewell function, Justice Rajiv Shakdher wished Justice Mridul the best for his tenure as the Chief Justice of Manipur High Court, a state which is currently “full of sadness”.
“The burden of bringing happiness to a place full of sadness right now has fallen on the judiciary…It is a challenging place. There are a lot of unhappy moments but I am sure our friend, my colleague, will manage the situation all well,” Justice Shakdher said.
Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma also congratulated Justice Mridul and said that citizens of Manipur will greatly benefit from his presence.
“Certainly the blessings will ensure that your tenure in Manipur is a successful one…I am experiencing mixed emotions today. Delhi’s loss is Manipur’s gain. The citizens of Manipur will greatly be benefited with your presence, ensuring their confidence in the due process of law. Your presence will be missed at a personal level,” the Chief Justice said.
Comments
0 comment