CJI lauds Justice Ashok Bhushan's humanist approach in farewell speech

New Delhi, June 30 Bidding farewell to Supreme Court judge Ashok Bhushan, Chief Justice N.V. Ramana on Wednesday, citing his statement in an interview, said: "Judges are only known by their judgements. Judgements are the only true criteria for testing the mettle of a judge."

As customary, a farewell reference was organised for Justice Bhushan in the court of Chief Justice.

In his speech, Chief Justice Ramana described Justice Bhushan, who hailed from the Allahabad High Court, as "great human being" whose judgements stood testimony to his "welfarist and humanist approach".

"His presence on the bench and on the committees that I am a member of, has been so very reassuring. Simply because, he is, first and foremost, a great human being. This quality has found abundant reflection in discharge of his duties - both while facing and adorning the bench."

The Chief Justice emphasised that Justice Bhushan's concern for the welfare of every section of the society is reflected in his opinions and writings.

Attorney General K.K. Venugopal, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, Supreme Court Bar Association President Vikas Singh and other members of the Bar, along with judges of the top court, were present during the virtual ceremony.

Justice Bhushan said the Bar has been very kind and respectful to him, both inside and outside the court, and "I am proud to be a part of this Supreme Court which has upheld rule of law".

"Bar and Bench are part of two wheels, their relationship is like that of sea and clouds. The Judges come from the sea, and merge in the sea after that. It is the Bar which is nursery of the Judges," he said.

Singh said Justice Bhushan never made any junior lawyer feel that he doesn't know the law, and instead, tried to counsel and guide them on their shortcomings.

Mehta recalled that Justice Bhushan always had a "gentle smile" on his face during the court hearings.

Justice Bhushan was on the Constitution bench which delivered verdict in the Ayodhya dispute and the Aadhaar case. He has recently headed a bench dealing with the migrant workers problems during the Covid-19 pandemic and ex-gratia for those who have lost their lives to Covid.

Born on July 5, 1956 in Jaunpur district of Uttar Pradesh to Chandrama Prasad Srivastava and his wife Kalavathi Srivastava, he graduated in Arts in 1975 and obtained his law degree from the Allahabad University in 1979. He enrolled as an advocate in Uttar Pradesh on April 6, 1979. After more than 20 years of successful practice, he was elevated as a permanent Judge of the Allahabad High Court on April 24, 2001.

After a stint as the Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court, he was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court on May 13, 2016.