Patience, Kindness a Strong Work Ethic and Enthusiasm to Constant Learning are the Qualities of a Judge:Justice NV Ramana
(Judicial Quest News Network)
It is an important quality for a judge to withstand all pressures and odds and to stand up bravely against all obstacles. Justice NV Ramana expressed in his speech on the Condolences in a Virtual meeting of Hon’ble Justice A.R Lakshman.
Justice NV Ramana who is in front-runner in the race to be the next Chief Justice of India, while paying triute to the late Justice AR Lakshman, on Saturday Justice NV Ramana Said that a “Judge must be fearless in his decisions” and that they must “ stand up bravely against all obstacles”
Madras Bar Association had organised a virtual condolence meeting in honour of former Apex Court judge AR Lakshman J. who passed away on August this year.
Justuice Lakhsman was one of the distinguished and eminent Indian hailing from the district of Sivaganga in Tamil Nadu. Born on 22/03/1942, Shri.Lakshmanan, even as a school student, developed a strong passion to join the judiciary. He used to read with keen interest, all the court Judgements reported in the newspapers. He blazed through his academic studies to graduate in Economics from St.Joseph’s College, Trichy. Following his heart’s dictates, he completed Bachelor of Law from Madras Law College in the year 1966.
Justice Ramana said that “It is with a deep sense of sorrow that we have come to condole the passing away of Hon’ble Mr. Justice A.R. Lakshmanan, former Judge, Supreme Court of India and a towering personality in the Indian judiciary from Tamil Nadu State, who left for the heavenly abode on 27th August, 2020 at his native place in Devakottai. He leaves behind him a legacy of qualities of a great jurist.”
Justice AR Lakshmanan enrolled as a Lawyer on 10th Jan 1968 and served as Junior under eminent lawyers Shri.G.Ramanjuan, Shri.K.Venkataswami and R.Krishnamurthy before starting to practice on his own. He had independent practice in varied branches of Law including Civil, Criminal, Company Law, Taxation, Insolvency, Trade Marks and Patents Law, Matrimonial, Admiralty, Writ jurisdiction etc.,
Justice Lakshmanan, being a first-generation lawyer, himself admitted to struggling initially in order to survive in the profession. After practising as a lawyer for over 23 years, as a result of his sheer hardwork, he was appointed as a Permanent Judge of the Madras High Court in 1990. Justice Lakshmanan excelled as a Judge and during his tenure in Kerala High Court, he was appointed as acting Chief Justice on 3 occasions. He became Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court and also served as Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court. Thereafter, he was elevated as a Judge of the Supreme Court in the year 2002. He served the Supreme Court of India for five years before retiring in 2007.
As a testament to his knowledge and learning, he has authored several works in Tamil and English. His books provide a deep insight into years of experience, his depth of knowledge and his unending wisdom. His life and times are bound to be remembered again, and will certainly inspire generations to come.
Justice NV Ramana said that “there are innumerable qualities that a person needs to live what can be called a good life: humility, patience, kindness, a strong work ethic and the enthusiasm to constantly learn and improve oneself. Most importantly, particularly for a judge, one must be steadfast in holding on to their principles and fearless in their decisions. It is an important quality for a judge to withstand all pressures and odds and to stand up bravely against all obstacles.”
–Justice NV Ramana
It was further pointed out by Justice NV Ramana that “One of the great qualities of Justice Lakshmanan was that he never forgot his friends and companions, like a true leader he always took care of everybody. When I was a young judge, we would often attend informal meetings together. It was during these times that he would very proudly share stories of the ancient Tamil heritage and traditions. He was an individual who was very closely connected with his birth place, culture and language. Often, with pride he used to recollect the rich Tamil architecture and Chettinad culture and cuisine. He was indeed a proud Tamilian and had close connections with his roots.”
–Justice NV Ramana
Before concluding his speech, Justice Ramana recalled the words of Justice Lakhsman, who said “we, the members of the judicial hierarchy have inherited the legacy of dedicated collective endeavour by the bench and the bar in establishing an unbroken tradition of high efficiency, perfect integrity and fearless independence.”
