Adieu CJI who crossed the line
Sh. Ravi Shanker Prasad, the Union Law Minister rightly expressed that some of the views expressed by outgoing Chief Justice of India (CJI) Tirath Singh Thakur were avoidable. It did not fit for a serving CJI to comment on Independence Day's speech of Prime Minister when the then CJI commented “I heard the popular Prime Minister for one and a half hours… I expected some mention about justice also, about appointment of judges”. Of course filling vacancy of judges in higher courts is an important issue, but it is not proper for a sitting CJI to so frequently raise the issue that even commenting of Prime Minister's Independence Day speech was not spared. This is despite the fact that the present central government repeatedly issued comparative data about more judges having been appointed than in earlier regimes. Moreover appointment of judges was also affected because of judiciary and executive not having reached some consensus formula for appointment of judges.
TS thakur became emotional at conference of Chief Ministers and Chief Justices of High Courts held at Vigyan Bhan (New Delhi) on Sunday 24.04.2016 citing low number of judges in the country responsible for piling up of court-cases. Persons sitting on such high posts should be capable enough to control their emotions. It is noteworthy that Prime Minister Narender Modi controlled his emotions even on death of his young niece. TS Thakur should have exhibited his ability as a good administrator by taking other steps for fast justice like to control unholy culture of liberal adjournments and ex-party stay-orders. He even did nothing to implement long-pending Law Commission's recommendations for scrapping British legacy of long court vacations.
TS Thakur will be remembered for bypassing conduct-code ‘Restatement of values of judicial life' when just after taking oath as CJI, he invited media-persons at his residence while conduct-code does not allow a judge to give interviews to media. He gave his personal views favouring odd-even numbered vehicles plying in Delhi, even though it was quite sure that the matter would be raised before courts.
