Supreme Court Justice AS Oka, who retires on May 24, said that he does not agree with the tradition of the retiring judges not working on their last day. .Justice Oka was speaking at a farewell function organized by the Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association (SCAORA) today."I told Chief Justice of India yesterday that I don't approve one tradition which is followed in Supreme Court, that retiring judge should not work on the last day. It will take some time for us to get rid of the tradition, but at least I have one satisfaction, that [on] last day I'll be sitting in regular bench and pronouncing some judgments," he said.Justice Oka added that the practice of giving guard of honor to the retiring judges at 1:30 pm should be delayed. "Because why should retiring judge be told to go home immediately after lunch. So that practice also will have to be changed so that a judge has satisfaction of working till four o'clock on the last working day," he said..Justice Oka also said that he "hates the word retirement" and had decided to hear as many matters as possible since January. "I never wanted to think about retirement. So only option, which I found was from January, I decided to take up as many matters as possible. And the result is that myself, my two esteemed colleagues, Justice [AG] Masih and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, all three of use are struggling to complete our judgments," he revealed.Justice Oka added,"It has become such a touchy issue that every morning, my wife accompanies for morning walk, the first question she asks me 'how many are remaining?' Because she knows I am so touchy and so under pressure to complete my judgments.".In his speech, Justice Oka also said Advocates-on-Record (AoRs) are backbone of the Supreme Court of India. He stressed that they require more training and suggested that the National Judicial Academy could be utilized to provide training to the young members of SCAORA."When time comes to demit office, I have something entirely different to say. I will never forget the cooperation rendered by the AoRs. Earlier CJ gave a new direction to the Supreme Court and this CJI will only take it ahead on the journey of transparency...I seek adjournment today and I will say whatever I have to say tomorrow...," he added..Speaking at the event, Chief Justice of India BR Gavai shared that his friendship with Justice Oka spans over 40 years."He is a workaholic. I know that he has restricted himself to consultation post retirement... I know he will always be occupied and never be free even post retirement.".Introducing Justice Oka, SCAORA Secretary Nikhil Jain said, "His judgments resonated across the fabric of our civil society. His deep legal acumen and humaneness set him apart always. His judgments were always grounded and far reaching." President Vipin Nair said that from being a passionate lawyer to an exemplary jurist, Justice Oka has an intimate understanding of the proceedings of the bar."He has stood like an unshakable rock. We must not forget Oak tree is the strongest in the wild. I was told that a court stenographer lost many of the drafts and Justice Oka recreated all of them," Nair added..[Read Live Coverage]
