There was no greater feeling than being able to serve those in need and people he never knew or met, Chief Justice DY Chandrachud said on his last day of work on Friday as the 50th head of the Indian Judiciary.

Heading a ceremonial bench of four judges, also comprising CJI nominee Sanjiv Khanna, Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, gathered to bid him farewell, the CJI expressed a deep sense of accomplishment, not only for the work done but for the opportunity to serve the country.

Justice Chandrachud took over from his illustrious father YV Chandrachud, who served as the longest-serving CJI between 1978 and 1985, on November 9, 2022 and will leave office on November 10, a Sunday.

Rich tributes were paid to him by CJI nominee Khanna and bar leaders, including the Attorney General, Solicitor General, Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Kapil Sibal, and others , to mark this pivotal moment in India’s judicial history.

“You asked me what keeps me going. It’s this court that kept me going, because there isn’t a single day when you feel that you haven’t learned something, that you don’t have not had the opportunity to serve society.

“And there is no greater feeling than being able to serve those in need and people you will never meet, people you may not even know, people you have the ability to to influence life without ever having seen them,” said a visibly moved member. » said CJI.

In his speech, CJI Chandrachud narrated his journey, from his position in the back row of the court as a young law student to his time in the revered corridors of the apex court.

He spoke of the immense privilege of serving the country, emphasizing that each day spent in court was an opportunity to learn and develop both legal knowledge and personal insight.

“I have always been aware of the overwhelming presence of the greats of this court and the responsibility that came with sitting in that chair. But ultimately it is not about the individual, it is about the “institution and the cause of justice that we defend here,” the CJI said.

He spoke admiringly of his colleagues, particularly highlighting his time on the bench with Justices Pardiwala and Misra, emphasizing the camaraderie and diversity of perspectives that enriched their collective work.

The CJI also expressed confidence in the future of the Court, reassuring the legal community that his successor, Justice Khanna, whom he described as “dignified, stable and deeply committed to justice”, would lead the Court with the same dedication and vision.

In a heartfelt conclusion, CJI Chandrachud expressed his gratitude to all those who contributed to his journey – senior lawyers, junior lawyers, officers and staff – acknowledging that each of them played a role in shaping his understanding of law and life.

He also apologized for any unintentional mistakes or misunderstandings, saying: “If I have ever hurt anyone, I ask for your forgiveness.”

Justice Khanna wished the CJI good luck saying, “He has made my task easy and difficult. Easy because of the revolutions introduced and difficult because I can’t walk towards him. We will miss him very much. His early life is not known here. only, but also abroad, in Australia, many people came to me and asked me how old he was.

Sibal described the CJI as “the extraordinary son of an extraordinary father”.

“I have been practicing in this court for 52 years now and in my life I have never seen a judge with such boundless patience as you, the ever-smiling Dr. Chandrachud,” the SCBA president said.

“What can I say about you as a human being and about you as a judge? As a judge, your conduct has been exemplary. No one can match it. You have reached out to communities across this countries that have never been heard before, that have not been seen before. You brought them before you and you showed what dignity meant to them,” he added.

“Whether it is a question of liberty, of fraternity, of life, of the lives of ordinary and marginalized people, contested, you have, unlike your father, dealt with this court when it was tumultuous. You have dealt with the court when matters were tumultuous. You faced them head on, without fear of the consequences Your greatest legacy to this court is that there will be no one like you…” he said. declared.

Former Attorney General KK Venugopal recounted his experience and said, “When your father asked me whether I advised him (Justice Chandrachud) to continue at the bar or become a judge, I said he was a excellent lawyer and I let him continue on this path. you took the position of judge and thank God, if you had listened to me, we would have lost such a great judge.

Born on November 11, 1959, Justice Chandrachud had a distinguished career in the judiciary.

His passion for cricket dates back to his childhood, when he reportedly played the sport in the backyard of his father’s residence in Lutyens’ Delhi.

He was appointed as a senior advocate by the Bombay High Court in June 1998 and served as Additional Solicitor General, before being appointed as a judge of the Bombay High Court on March 29, 2000. He later became the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court. on October 31, 2013.

Justice Chandrachud holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from St Stephen’s College, Delhi, an LLB from the Campus Law Center of the University of Delhi, and an LLM and Doctorate in Juridical Sciences (SJD). from Harvard Law School.