Judges are not monks, and work pressure affects them as well, Justice L. Nageswara Rao, the Supreme Court’s fifth most senior judge, said on Friday while sharing the ceremonial bench with the Chief Justice on his last day in office.
Justice Rao, the seventh person to be appointed to the Supreme Court directly from the Bar, described his six-year tenure as a judge as “a good sojourn” and fondly recalled his days as an advocate.
“I’ve been a member of this Bar for 22 years, and it’s all because of your love and affection that my job has become so much easier.” My journey was very pleasant. Thank you kindly.”
Advocates are far superior to Judges
“Even today, I believe that side (advocates) is far superior to this side, and if given the chance, I would be there for the rest of my life.” Thank you once again. It’s been a pleasant journey for me. I’ve learned from brother and sister judges, and I hope I can live up to your expectations as a member of this Bar,” he said.
Moved by the good wishes of the Bar and Attorney General K.K. Venugopal and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, Judges Rao expressed regret for raising their voice during the court proceedings and injuring the lawyers.
“If I have been harsh in court and have caused someone harm.” Please accept my apologies. Please understand that the nature of the job requires us to make a decision in favor of one person, and the other side would be extremely unhappy with our decision.”
“And because we are not monks, the pressure of work can sometimes get to us.” “I’m sure I’ve raised my voice a few times to drown out the voices of lawyers,” he admitted.
“When I was elevated, I had told Justice Gogoi, with whom I used to sit for a while, that I still think like a lawyer, and he said you continue to do that, and that will help you to understand lawyers better,” Justice Rao said. The ceremonial bench was headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) N.V. Ramana, who said that he and Justice Rao had started their advocacy practice in the same place in Andhra Pradesh.
“He comes from a family of lawyers. He lacked a godfather and financial support. I send my best wishes to him and his family. It’s an emotional day because we started our careers together and I’ll be leaving soon. Justice Ramana stated, “He has been a strong supporter of mine.”
After leaving office on June 7, Judge Rao will lead the Hyderabad International Arbitration Center, according to the CJI. Justice Ramana CJI stated that he would save any further remarks for the SCBA’s farewell function later that evening. A.G. Prerarivalan, a convict in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, was granted relief by a bench led by Justice Rao, according to Venugopal.
According to the solicitor general. “As a human being, I’ve learned a lot from him.” Justice Rao will retire on June 7, and his last day of work will be Friday, as the Supreme Court will be closed for summer vacations beginning today.
Justice Rao, who was born in Chirala in the Prakasam District of Andhra Pradesh, studied law at Nagarjuna University in Guntur and was admitted to the Bar Council of Andhra Pradesh in 1982.
He moved to the Andhra Pradesh High Court after two years of practice at the Guntur District Court. He remained there until December 1994. He worked as a lawyer at the Supreme Court from January 1995 to May 2016, rising through the ranks to become a senior advocate and then Additional Solicitor General. On May 13, 2016, he was appointed to the Supreme Court as a judge.