Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana said on Friday that Supreme Court Justice, Justice AM Khanwilkar has always been a very ‘hardworking’ and ‘disciplined’ judge and that his ethics work is clear to all.
The CJI said it, along with Justices UU Lalit and Khanwilkar, who are part of the Supreme Court’s Collegium, had cleared more than 250 names for appointment as senior judges in the past year. “All credit goes to my brother justices,” Justice Ramana said at a ceremony hosted by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) to bid farewell to Justice Khanwilkar, who resigned on Friday after one term. over six years old. as a judge of the Supreme Court ended.
With the retirement of Justice Khanwilkar, the Supreme Court’s complement would drop to 31. The Superior Court has a sanctioned complement of 34 judges.
The CJI said Justice Khanwilkar authored more than 187 judgments and disposed of nearly 8,446 cases before the Supreme Court.
”Brother Judge Khanwilkar has always been a very hardworking and disciplined judge. His work ethic is clear to all,” he said, adding that Justice Khanwilkar was a “workaholic” and that is everyone’s impression. Justice Ramana said he had benefited a lot from Justice Khanwilkar’s wisdom in the Collegium. “His cooperation and insights have contributed significantly to the progress we have made in filling vacancies in the senior judiciary,” he said.
”And, thereafter, he would try to deal with the weaker section and the women, in particular, whether their cases were properly considered or not. This is a good thing,” the CJI said.
He referred to three judgments in which Judge Khanwilkar was a part, including the one that made it possible to live-stream court proceedings. ”He was part of the constitution bench in Public Interest Foundation v. Union of India which has made it mandatory to disclose the criminal background of the contestants. In Kalpana Mehta v. Union of India Brother Justice Khanwilkar was a member of the constitution bench which ruled that judicial opinion of the reports of the parliamentary standing committee can be taken,” he said.
Justice Ramana said these were very “step-by-step” judgments that Justice Khanwilkar has contributed to the development of laws in these areas.
He said that apart from judicial duties, Justice Khanwilkar had actively taken on other responsibilities and was the president of the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal and was regularly conducting proceedings despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Since assuming the chairmanship of the Supreme Court’s Legal Services Committee in August 2021, he has actively promoted the use of technology in the functioning of the committee,” the CJI said, adding that Justice Khanwilkar had conceptualized and launched the SCLSC online. portal to enable access to justice for all. He said Justice Khanwilkar has always been a strong supporter of the use of technology and his efforts to digitize the High Court of Madhya Pradesh, where he was Chief Justice before being elevated to Supreme Court, are still greatly admired.
“Even on the Supreme Court, he was at the forefront of the digitization initiative,” he said.
“Although Brother Justice Khanwilkar’s career on the Supreme Court bench is coming to an end, I am sure he will continue to work hard in one capacity or another,” the CJI said.
Justice Ramana said he was told that Justice Khanwilkar was an avid runner in his youth and even ran from Bombay to Alibaug, a distance of around 100 kilometers.
“Perhaps after his retirement he can finally spend more time taking care of his health and fitness,” he said while wishing him on behalf of all Supreme Court Justices. Born on July 30, 1957 in Pune, Justice Khanwilkar graduated with an LL.B. from a law school in Mumbai.
He was registered as a barrister in February 1982 and later appointed an additional judge of the Bombay High Court on March 29, 2000.
He was appointed Chief Justice of the High Court of Himachal Pradesh on April 4, 2013 and then Chief Justice of the High Court of Madhya Pradesh on November 24, 2013.
Justice Khanwilkar was appointed a Supreme Court Justice and took office on May 13, 2016.PTI ABA ABA RKS RKS
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