The Kerala High Court on Friday held a full court reference in honour of Justice MB Snehalatha, who is slated to retire from service on May 31, 2026, upon attaining the age of superannuation.

In her farewell address, Justice Snehalatha reflected on her judicial journey and described serving as a judge as the greatest honour of her life.

She said that for a judge, every day on the Bench involved decisions affecting the lives, liberties, rights, and aspirations of people and that holding a judicial office came with great responsibility.

"The judicial journey is unlike any other profession. Every day brings questions affecting the lives, liberties, rights and aspirations of people. To have been entrusted with such responsibility has been the greatest honour of my life," she said.

The judge added that the trust litigants placed in courts was sacred and said that she had always endeavoured to uphold that trust with integrity, patience and impartiality.

Justice Snehalatha also stressed on the role played by lawyers in the administration of justice.

"A judge can perform effectively only with the assistance of a responsible and enlightened Bar. The quality of justice delivered by any court depends greatly on the assistance rendered by the legal fraternity," the Judge stated.

The farewell reference was attended by judges of the Kerala High Court, Advocate General Jaju Babu, Additional Solicitor General P Sreekumar, Director General of Prosecution Asaf Ali, the President of the Kerala High Court Advocates' Association (KHCAA) Peeyus A Kottam, members of the Bar and court staff.

AG Babu described Justice Snehalatha as "humility personified" and highlighted her patient hearing of cases, humane approach and deep understanding of ground realities which she gained through her long service in the district judiciary.

KHCAA President Kottam said that despite serving as a High Court Judge for a relatively short period, Justice Snehalatha had earned the confidence and admiration of both the Bench and the Bar and praised her patience, courtesy and willingness to hear every lawyer with fairness and compassion.

Justice Nambiar referred to her as a pathbreaker and remarked that her retirement was a setback for the High Court as it would further reduce the representation of women on the Bench at a time when gender diversity in judiciary is being widely recognised.

With Justice Snehalatha's retirement, the number of women judges in the Kerala High Court will reduce to two in a Court currently functioning with 37 judges.

Born on May 31, 1964 in Ernakulam's Vipin, Justice Snehalatha completed her pre-degree and degree courses at St Teresa's College, Ernakulam before obtaining her LLB from Government Law College, Ernakulam and LLM from Mahatma Gandhi University.

She enrolled as an advocate in 1989 and practiced in courts at Kochi.

In 1995, she joined the Kerala Judicial Service as Munsiff- Magistrate and was promoted as a District Judge in 2014.

Justice Snehalatha was sworn in as an Additional Judge of the Kerala High Court on April 25, 2024 and was appointed a Permanent Judge of the High Court on March 4, 2026.

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