Do not malign institution for the sake of publicity, Justice PN Ravindran of Kerala High Court

In an apparent response to the allegations made by Justice Kemal Pasha last week, Justice PN Ravindran of Kerala High Court has cautioned against those seeking publicity from denigrating and maligning the institution..Justice Ravindran who was elevated to the Bench in 2007, was speaking at his farewell function, when he chose to respond to “the recent attempts to malign this great institution”. Alluding to the glorious past of the Kerala High Court which has produced world-renowned judges, Justice Ravindran said,.“I am, however, deeply hurt and saddened at the recent attempts to malign this great institution. The High court of Kerala has a glorious past. It ranks first among the High Courts in India. It has produced world-renowned judges like Justice KK Mathew and Justice VR Krishna Iyer. I consider it a great privilege and honour to have associated with this court….”.Stating that the judges of the High Court never seek publicity which could give room to speculation and gossip and erode the faith of common man in judiciary, Justice Ravindran said,.“…the High Court of Kerala is manned by a team of honest and erudite judges who work sincerely and devote their full time and attention to their work, which by its very nature is onerous. They never seek publicity and do nothing that would give room for speculation and gossip as otherwise it would erode the faith of the common man in the institution of judiciary”..It ill behoves anyone claiming to be the repository of all virtues to denigrate the institution and speak ill of others who are not in a position to respond, said Justice Ravindran..He also had a word of advice for those who “for the sake of publicity wilfully and for no reason malign this great institution”..“Be the person who touches the loves and hears of people. Be a positive light to others as you put a smile on their faces. For in the end, it is not what you say that matters, it is how you make them feel that lovingly stays in their memory”..He said that he would leave it at that, given the “solemnity of the occasion, the dignity and decorum of this court and the advice given by the well-wishers of this institution.”.Justice Kemal Pasha who retired on May 24 had, in his farewell speech, made some strong remarks against the High Court Collegium’s recommendation of five lawyers for elevation to the Bench. In his speech, Justice Pasha went on to say that he had learnt from the media that certain names from the Bar were recommended for elevation. Questioning the suitability of the recomendees, the judge said,.“If the names given by the media are correct, I can very well say that most of the judges of this Court including me have no good fortune to see even the faces of some of those persons. Is it good for the judiciary?”.Subsequently, Justice Pasha had spoken to the media raising questions on change of bench in a sensitive case thus bringing to fore the controversy surrounding the power of the Chief Justice as Master of Roster..This had led to comparisons with similar events that had thrown the Supreme Court into turmoil earlier this year when four senior-most judges had held a press conference questioning the manner in which the Chief Justice of India was exercising his Master of Roster powers..Read the full speech below.