Justice Abhay S Oka's last working day at the Supreme Court was marked by a cavalcade of lawyers expressing their deep appreciation for his stance on civil liberties and for delivering justice without fear or favour. .Justice Oka sat as part of a ceremonial bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai and Justice AG Masih this morning, moments after he pronounced eleven judgments while sitting on a Division Bench. .Notably, Justice Oka had returned to work a day after attending the final rites for his mother, who passed away on May 21. Lawyers who gathered to bid him farewell expressed their condolences. "We join you and your family in sharing our deepest condolences on the demise of your mother, we pray for the departed soul," Attorney General of India R Venkataramani said as he started his address. He went on to say, "You'll certainly be remembered for the strong flag you waved for environmental causes. Many lessons have been taught by you in the field of human concern. They are good for governance as they will be for the community...All of us received equal treatment in your court...We thank you sincerely for the tireless work you have done. On the lighter side, it seems that by working so tirelessly, you have set bad standards for your law clerks, that there are days when they forgot to go home!".Solicitor General Tushar Mehta agreed that Justice Oka was a tireless judge who never came ill-prepared for a hearing. Often, the judge was better prepared than the lawyers, Mehta added. "Most amazing thing is, despite such an irreparable loss, your lordship put duty as a judge first. This is something all of us has to learn, to put duty first...Lordship would always be remembered as a judge who took a stand when required," he went on to say. .Senior Advocate and newly elected Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Vikas Singh commended Justice Oka for his commitment to the cause of justice. "Even when lawyers did not win cases, they never felt that justice was not done," he said. .Senior Advocate and President of the Supreme Court Advocate on Record Association (SCAORA) Vipin Nair said that Justice Oka was a born judge and that he had dispensed divine justice throughout his judicial career..Outgoing SCBA President and Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal praised Justice Oka for standing up for liberty, adding that the vacuum he leaves behind cannot be replaced. "The judges who will be remembered (are those) who stood up for the cause of liberty through this institution...You symbolise that. You protected liberty like no one else did in this Court ...Thank you for being what you are and what you were," he said. .Additional Solicitor General SV Raju observed that even when Justice Oka delivered unfavourable judgments, they were balanced. "I never felt judgment was against me, I always felt justice was being delivered," Raju said. .Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan lauded Justice Oka for his simplicity. Referring to the judge's name (Oka, pronounced 'oak'), he added,"The Americans say, sturdy as an oak, that's exactly what you have been for this institution.".Senior Advocate Menaka Guruswamy praised the judge for epitomising the best qualities of an ideal judge."Rarely is a person so appropriately named as you were, Abhay means fearless Oka (stands for) sheltering all. You epitomise the best of a judge. Thank you for teaching us through cases like MC Mehta. You helped move institutions to comply, just by your belief that this city deserves a better environment," she said..A lawyer who was among Justice Oka's first law clerks at the Supreme Court also came forward to give an account of his experience."I learnt what excellence and integrity looked like in practice...The bane is that he has set the bar so high...Briefing him taught me something no textbook could ever - when to speak, how to speak and most importantly, when to be silent," he said..Senior Advocate Meenakshi Arora said that Justice Oka had truly lived up to the oath of a judge - to work without fear or favour. She praised him for always being true to his conscience. She recounted that in a hearing presided over by him, it was remarked that what a judge truly needs is "spine, spine and spine.""You truly epitomise that," she said..More lawyers followed in paying their tributes to Justice Oka, who in his reply expressed that he was touched by their remarks. "Perhaps today is the last and first day where I have not stopped lawyers from speaking...I am very speechless, I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart," the retiring judge said, He added that it was part of a judge's duty to be firm, and not hesitate to offend anyone if required. .[Read Live Coverage]
