No Supreme Court judge has addressed me 'Sir': Bombay High Court Chief Justice recounts meeting CJI UU Lalit

Chief Justice of India UU Lalit is a simple and kind-hearted person, Bombay High Court Chief Justice Dipankar Datta said on Saturday, recounting an incident when he experienced the humility of the CJI first hand..The incident happened in March 2021 when Justice Datta had travelled to Delhi to invite Justice Lalit for the inauguration of the new building for the Bombay High Court at Goa."When then Justice Lalit entered the room, he extended his hand to say 'Sir, how are you?'. Let me be frank, I have never been approached by a Supreme Court judge like this, calling me 'sir'," CJ Datta said."If simplicity, humility, kind hearted, righteousness and empathy can be said to coalesce in one human being, CJI Lalit would definitely be counted as the forerunner," he said."I learnt this from CJI Lalit, 'be howsoever high, you treat a human as a human'. You don't keep in mind the high position you hold. I was there as the Chief Justice of Bombay High Court. It was Justice Lalit's generosity to show respect to the chair I hold. Sadly this is fast waning in our society", CJ Datta added.CJ Datta was speaking at a felicitation function organised for CJI Lalit by the High Court Bar Association of Nagpur, Bombay High Court.In his speech, CJ Datta also highlighted two similarities between him and the Supreme court judge."His Lordship was born on a 9th, I was also born on a 9th. Secondly, I am very fond of ice creams, so was he."He also added that the CJI Lalit is very fond of Dinshaw ice cream outlet in Nagpur but has been forced to reduce ice cream consumption due to health reasons. .CJ Datta also revealed some lesser known facts about the CJI. As a lawyer, Justice Lalit had appeared before all High Courts except the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court and Sikkim High Court. In those days when there were no virtual hearings, Justice Lalit had appeared in three courts on one day located in a different locations. As as a lawyer, he used to appear in 15-20 matters in a day in Supreme Court, and he was prepared for all matters. If for any reason, he was not able to appear in any matter, the standing instruction was to return the fees to the client.He had three 'fall back' arguments in any given case. At an event in Nagpur, CJI Lalit had said that there are three important attributes to be a successful lawyer: know the facts, know the law and more important than first two, know the judge..Before concluding, CJ Datta stressed on the issue of dearth of judges in Bombay High Court and expressed hope that the vacancies would be filled in the coming months, so that justice is delivered on time and the work pressure on sitting judges is reduced. .Follow Bar and Bench channel on WhatsAppDownload the Bar and Bench Mobile app for instant access to the latest legal news.