Outgoing Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna said that the truth deficit in the legal profession bothers him deeply. .He explained that a judge is a seeker of truth, but today, there is a mistaken belief that unless the evidence is padded up, the case would not succeed. “I would like to speak about something that bothers me. Truth deficit in our profession. A judge above all is the seeker of truth and Mahatma Gandhi believed that truth is God and an ideal to strive for. Yet, we come across concealment and deliberate misstatement of facts. This stems from a mistaken belief that unless some padding is done in evidence a case would not succeed. This mindset is not only wrong, it does not work. It makes the job of the court harder,” he said. .CJI Khanna was speaking at his farewell ceremony organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA). He said that he performed the duties of a judge for 20 years and has no mixed feelings about his tenure. “I am simply happy. I feel blessed to have retired as Chief Justice of India. Becoming a judge of the Delhi High Court was itself a dream come true."However, he added that he is eager to get rid of the judge in him. “It feels like the beginning of a new life. I have been a lawyer and a judge for 42 years. My parents lived a life of simplicity and moral uprightness. My mother was a professor of Hindi literature in Lady Shri Ram College. She never wanted me to become a lawyer. She said simplicity and straight-mindedness will not let me earn. I was never commercial-minded. My mother would be pleased that my decision was correct.”He concluded that justice finds home in the Supreme Court. “This is a place we call the Supreme Court. This is a place where justice finds home.”.[Read live coverage of farewell ceremony]
Outgoing Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna said that the truth deficit in the legal profession bothers him deeply. .He explained that a judge is a seeker of truth, but today, there is a mistaken belief that unless the evidence is padded up, the case would not succeed. “I would like to speak about something that bothers me. Truth deficit in our profession. A judge above all is the seeker of truth and Mahatma Gandhi believed that truth is God and an ideal to strive for. Yet, we come across concealment and deliberate misstatement of facts. This stems from a mistaken belief that unless some padding is done in evidence a case would not succeed. This mindset is not only wrong, it does not work. It makes the job of the court harder,” he said. .CJI Khanna was speaking at his farewell ceremony organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA). He said that he performed the duties of a judge for 20 years and has no mixed feelings about his tenure. “I am simply happy. I feel blessed to have retired as Chief Justice of India. Becoming a judge of the Delhi High Court was itself a dream come true."However, he added that he is eager to get rid of the judge in him. “It feels like the beginning of a new life. I have been a lawyer and a judge for 42 years. My parents lived a life of simplicity and moral uprightness. My mother was a professor of Hindi literature in Lady Shri Ram College. She never wanted me to become a lawyer. She said simplicity and straight-mindedness will not let me earn. I was never commercial-minded. My mother would be pleased that my decision was correct.”He concluded that justice finds home in the Supreme Court. “This is a place we call the Supreme Court. This is a place where justice finds home.”.[Read live coverage of farewell ceremony]
