New Delhi, Sep 10 An independent judiciary cannot function without an independent, ethical and fearless Bar, said Justice V Kameswar Rao on Thursday, when the Delhi High Court bid farewell to him on his appointment as the Chief Justice of the Patna High Court.
Justice Rao said the Bench and the Bar were not opposing institutions but partners in administration of justice, and all celebrated constitutional principles reached courts because some advocate was willing to stand up and argue for them.
The full court farewell reference, organised by the Delhi High Court, was attended by Justice Rao's family members and several senior advocates and lawyers.
In his speech, Justice Rao -- the senior-most judge after the High Court Chief Justice -- said that lawyers do exceptional work where their quiet diligence "changes someone's life", which deserves recognition.
"The last 34 years of my life as an advocate and a judge have strengthened my conviction that the Bench and the Bar are not opposing institutions but partners in the administration of justice. An independent judiciary cannot function without an independent, ethical and fearless Bar," the judge said.
Justice Rao said it was a privilege for him to become the Chief Justice of one of the country's oldest high courts, with over 110 years of rich history.
Delhi High Court Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya said Justice Rao has an unparalleled commitment towards the cause of justice and he effectively shouldered the institution's administrative responsibilities as well.
Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, Delhi government standing counsel Sameer Vashisht and Delhi High Court Bar Association President N Hariharan also spoke at the occasion.
Born on August 7, 1965, Justice Rao was designated a senior advocate by the Delhi High Court in 2010. He was elevated as an additional judge on August 17, 2013 and became a permanent judge on March 18, 2015. He completed his law course from Delhi University.
In June 2024, Justice Rao was transferred to the Karnataka High Court, where he also served as its Acting Chief Justice before his return to Delhi in July 2025.
In October 2023, Justice Rao set aside the transfer of a case concerning the disciplinary proceedings against 1998 batch Bihar cadre IPS officer Amit Lodha from the Patna Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) to New Delhi.
In a relief to contractual nurses working at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), his bench in 2024 also directed the institution to pay them salaries comparable to regular nurses along with Dearness Allowance (DA).
Recently, a Justice Rao-led bench said banning or regulating the use of social media by children fell in the realm of the Centre's policy-making, and directed the authorities to consider the issue in a representation.
In January, his bench ruled that merely terming primary hypertension a lifestyle disorder was not sufficient to deny disability pension to a retired staffer of the Indian Air Force (IAF).
