Judges must be bold if they expect other institutions to show courage: Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul

Judges must be bold if they expect other institutions in a democracy to show courage, tetiring Supreme Court judge Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said on Friday..Justice Kaul said that judges have Constitutional protections in place to back them and emphasized that if judges do not exhibit boldness, it would be difficult for other institutions to follow suit."Boldness of a judge is important factor and with Constitutional protection if we cannot exhibit this, then it is difficult for other organs to show this character. Bar has to stand up for the independence of judiciary and support judiciary and correct them as well," he said.Pertinently, Justice Kaul also touched upon the dwindling tolerance among individuals and communities and called for increased understanding and acceptance among individuals."As a society we must have tolerance for each other and internationally tolerance has gone down and it is time human species learn to live with each other so that world becomes a large place and not a small place to live," he said..The judge was speaking while sitting with Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud on the ceremonial bench on his retirement day..He began his address by sharing a personal principle - the sanctity of court proceedings, extending even to his grandchildren."Let me begin on a lighter note... I have never permitted anyone to disturb the court proceedings and that applies to my grand children as well," he said..Justice Kaul also expressed his concerns about 'adjournment culture', insisting that listed matters should be heard promptly.Reflecting on early advice he received as a young judge, Justice Kaul stressed the responsibility to provide litigants the full measure of justice they seek, given their last-resort reliance on the courts."When I became a judge, a judge told me that litigant comes to the court as a last resort and when they come for 50, do not give them 45 because they spend far more," Justice Kaul recollected.Furthermore, reflecting on his own journey, Justice Kaul expressed his satisfaction with his contribution to the legal landscape. Law does not occupy a primary position in Justice Kaul's bucket list of things to do on retirement, he revealed..Justice Kaul, a native of Srinagar, was born on December 26, 1958. He enrolled as an advocate in 1982, focusing primarily on the Commercial, Civil, Writ, Original, and Company jurisdictions of the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India.He was appointed as an additional judge of the Delhi High Court on May 3, 2001, and subsequently became a permanent judge in 2003. Thereafter, he assumed the role of acting Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court in September 2012.In June 2013, he was appointed as the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Following this, on July 26, 2014, he assumed the mantle of Chief Justice of the Madras High Court.On February 17, 2017, he was appointed to the Supreme Court of India.