New Delhi, May 29 Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Vikas Singh announced on Friday that every retiring judge will now be made an honorary member of the association.
Speaking at the SCBA’s farewell function for Justices J K Maheshwari and Pankaj Mithal, Singh said that judges being allowed to continue their membership of the bar in some capacity or the other post-retirement was an excellent thought, as generally judges stopped coming to the top court after demitting office.
“Unfortunately, we never thought of this, but I can assure you that from now on, we will be making every retiring judge an honorary member of the SCBA; we will welcome them to come to our bar, spend time with us; it will be a great moment for our members to interact with them and learn from their experiences…” Singh said.
Applauding the judges, he said both of them had been extremely kind to the bar.
“It is always a sad moment when judges retire, more so when popular judges retire, but we are happy that, coincidentally, we have five new judges coming to the Supreme Court,” Singh said.
Attorney General R Venkataramani, who also spoke at the event, praised the judges, saying that though their lives reflected two distinct journeys, different in origin and setting, they were united by the enduring values of discipline, hard work, learning, humility and devotion to judicial institutions.
He said Justice Maheshwari's career spanned from a small town in Madhya Pradesh to the Supreme Court and was marked by his contributions to institution-building and compassionate judgments.
Venkataramani said Justice Mithal excelled through individual merit and scholarship and that he was known for his clarity, restraint, and practical wisdom.
He said that both judges would be remembered for their significant contributions to the legal system and for ensuring access to justice.
Both justices will retire during the partial court working days (June 1 to July 12) in the apex court.
While Justice Maheshwari is set to retire on June 28, Justice Mithal will demit office on June 16.
