Bidding farewell to Justice R.F. Nariman, Chief Justice N.V. Ramana on Thursday turned emotional and said in his ‘brother Nariman’ the top court will be “losing one of its lions” as he retires. Hailing Nariman’s judgments that reflected erudition, clarity of thought, and scholarly approach, the chief justice wondered whether age is a proper yardstick for signing off as a pillar of the judiciary.
Justice Ramana said Justice Nariman’s judgment like the one in Shreya Singhal matter, where the top court quashed section 66A of the IT Act, has left an indelible mark on the legal jurisprudence, and added, he is a little overwhelmed and finding it difficult to express his thoughts.
The CJI said: “All I can state is that with judgments like Shreya Singhal, his opinions in Puttaswamy and Shayara Bano, he has left an indelible mark on the jurisprudence of the country.”
Justice Ramana described Justice Nariman as: “One of the strong pillars of the contemporary judicial system. He is a man of principles and is committed to what is right. Retirement of luminaries such as Brother Nariman, who are repositories of legal acumen, makes one wonder if a person’s age is the appropriate yardstick to decide the tenure and time of retirement”.
The chief justice narrated the academic and legal journey of Justice Nariman, who has practiced law for nearly 35 years before being elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court directly from the Bar on July 7, 2014, and he disposed of nearly 13,565 cases.
The Chief justice said: “I think I can conclude this reference with just one line: with brother Nariman’s retirement, I feel like I am losing one of the lions that guarded the judicial institution”.
The farewell function in the chief justice’s courtroom went for more than half an hour and several seasoned senior advocates and rank junior advocates came together to bid farewell to Justice Nariman. However, Justice Nariman did not speak a word. The Supreme Court Bar Association has organized farewells for Justice Nariman later in the afternoon.