New Delhi, Aug 20 Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Thursday heaped praises on Justice Sanjay Karol for his approach in life and judicial work, and said the Supreme Court will certainly feel his absence.
Speaking at the farewell function organised by Supreme Court Advocate On-Record Association (SCAORA) for Justice Karol, who is set to demit office on August 22, CJI Kant said, "It has been a privilege to know you as a colleague. This court will certainly feel your absence."
CJI Kant further said, "I would like to remember brother Sanjay Karol not simply through the offices he has held or the judgments he has delivered, but through a few moments that, taken together, offer glimpses of the person behind the office."
He added that after all, a career in law can be reduced to a chronology; a life devoted to the law cannot.
CJI Kant recalled his days when he was the advocate general for Haryana and Justice Karol was the advocate general for Himachal Pradesh, and said they share a lot of fond memories when they were young in the profession.
He recalled that once when they were travelling to the high court at Shimla, Justice Karol saw one milkman collapsing.
"He immediately stopped his car and took care of him and ensured that he got proper medical care after which he returned to the court. The incident showed something of his personality that a resume or a list of judgments would not reveal; which is that compassion, for brother Karol, has never been confined to judicial office. It is a disposition, to notice, to pause, and to respond," CJI Kant said.
The Chief Justice said there are occasions when the vocabulary we use in the court seems wholly inadequate to the moment.
"We are accustomed to speaking in the language of law, of facts and principles, precedents and propositions, rights and remedies. An evening such as this calls for something more personal. It invites us to speak of the people we have known, the memories we have gathered and the qualities that remain with us long after the formalities of office have passed," he said.
CJI Kant said that the number of suo motu cases Justice Karol took during his stint at the Himachal Pradesh High Court and at the Patna High Court during the COVID pandemic showcased his humane, compassionate and humble approach in dealing with matters that affect the common man.
"It is fitting, therefore, that one of the most revealing things brother Karol has said about his own approach to judicial office concerns the Constitution. He has described the Constitution as his favourite book and has spoken of reading a portion of it every day.
"I have always liked his explanation for this as he does not read it in order to finish it; he reads it to remind himself of what it asks of him. There is a certain humility in that approach to constitutional office, where even after years on the bench, one continues to return to the text that entrusted this responsibility to us," the CJI said.
He added that the Constitution, after all, is not merely a book of powers and limits, but it is a reminder that behind every legal question stands a human being. Behind every institution, there is a public trust, which is perhaps why, in Justice Karol's judicial journey, principle and compassion have so rarely appeared as competing values, and so often as two parts of the same commitment, he said.
"Brother Karol has travelled through decades in the law with qualities that belong to no particular designation, and so will not disappear with it. The discipline will remain as will the fidelity to the Constitution, the respect for institutions, and, above all, that very human instinct to notice when someone needs help," he said.
Justice Karol, in his address to members of SCAORA, said that they should understand their responsibilities and live life like a king-size.
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart," he said, asking them to enjoy their work.
Justice Karol, who himself was advocate-on-record at the Supreme Court, said that lawyers must understand that real grooming happens inside the courtroom and not outside.
"Whatever I did, I lived life like a king size. I have no regrets," he said, and recalled his journey from lawyer to judge of the top court.
SCAORA President Devvrat and vice president Nikhil Jain spoke on the occasion. Several present and past office-bearers of the bar body such as Vipin Nair and Sachin Sharma were present in the audience.
