- Justice Krishnaswami Chandru, was a additional judge & permanent judge of the Madras High Court for the sevens years between July 31, 2006 and March 8, 2013.
- On the day of his swearing November 9, 2009, he created a flutter by submitting his assets and liabilities in a sealed cover to Chief Justice H. N. Gokhale. Think of judicial accountability, think Justice Chandru.
- On June 9, 2010, at court hall number 24 of the Madras High Court, Chandru delivered 75 verdicts. As in charge of appeal suits, Chandru has asked the staff to list at least 100 cases daily. In April, 2010, he pronounced 1,780 judgments. The average tally of this judge: 1,500 verdicts a month. No other judge even crossed half of this mark.
- During his tenure at the Madras High Court, Justice Chandru disposed nearly 96,000 cases and was popular as a “People’s Judge”.
- Chennai is free of hoardings and digital boards on the roadside, it is because of the order of the division bench comprising Justice Chandru.
- As an editorial team member of Lawyers Collective, a legal journal from Mumbai, he wrote extensively about the irregularities committed by Supreme Court Judge Ramasamy while the latter was the Chief Justice of the Chandigarh High Court. It was after this that the movement for impeachment of Ramasamy started. Chandru spearheaded it along with noted advocate Indira Jaisingh.
- In India and elsewhere, when a High Court Judge retires, it is usual for all the judges of the High Court would to assemble a meeting in the Court of the Chief justice and the Advocate General would deliver a farewell speech followed by a photo session, high tea and dinner in a five-star hotel.
- Justice K. Chandru, in a letter to the acting chief justice R K Agrawal, dated February 8, 2013, requested him not to order the farewell ritual for him as he would like to leave office quietly.
- The last time a judge declined a farewell function was in 1929, when Justice Jackson told the Advocate General, “I have done my job; where is the question of a farewell for me?”
- On Fri, Mar 8, 2013, the last day in office for Justice Chandru, first he surrendered his official car. Then he submitted a copy of his ‘voluntary declaration of assets’ to acting Chief Justice R K Agrawal. After returning to his chambers, he signed a few documents. From there he went to the press room and spent a few happy moments with the journalists who had assembled there, answering their queries. After leaving the court premises, he walked up to Sangeetha Restaurant across NSC Bose Road. A group of friends was waiting there, and he had coffee with them. From there he walked up to the Beach Station and boarded a suburban MRTS train bound for Velacherry.
- Known for his simplicity, he shunned some of the accoutrements that usually accompanied a Judge. He disliked pomp and pageantry. He was a role model for others.
- He dispensed with the practice of his duffedar carrying a mace while escorting him to the court and returning to his chamber.
- He did not have a gun-toting personal security officer (PSO) beside him.
- He did not have official servants at home.
- He did not approve lawyers calling him “my lord”.
- He did not accept any post retirement jobs at Tribunals, Commissions etc.
- Post retirement ... I sit in this office that I have rented out for myself and do some consultancy for lawyers who want help. Other than that, I write in newspapers and magazines. One of my retirement plans was to take part in public debates. I write articles on a variety of cases including a series of peculiar cases that come to court. I also write for women’s fortnightly magazines. I deliver lectures in colleges like IIT Madras regarding law and social issues. That’s how I keep myself occupied.
A notice displayed at the entrance to his chamber declared:
“No deities – no Flowers
No one is hungry – no Fruits
No one is shivering—no Shawls
We need only best wishes”
No comments:
Post a Comment