Justice K. Chandru, an iconoclastic High Court judge

• 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”


Justice Chandru's Noteworthy Comments

Simplicity

Simplicity is defined as the state of being simple, uncomplicated, or uncompounded; freedom from pretense or guile; directness of expression; restraint in ornamentation; the state or quality of being plain or not fancy or complicated; something that is simple or ordinary but enjoyable; directness or clearness in speaking or writing.

• In some uses, simplicity can imply beauty, purity, or clarity. In the context of human lifestyle, simplicity can denote freedom from hardship, effort or confusion. Specifically, it can refer to a simple living style. 
• Simplicity is a theme in the Christian religion. God is infinitely simple. Simplicity involves the simplifying of one's life in order to focus on things that are most important and disregarding or avoiding things seen as least important. 
• We are loaded with external good, and miserable in spiritual life. We have in abundance that which we can go without, and are infinitely poor in the one thing needful. 
• Simplicity is a state of mind. It dwells in the main intention of our lives. A man is simple when he is honest and naturally human. This is neither easy nor impossible. It consists in putting our acts and aspirations in accordance with the law of our being.
• Simplicity and lowly station, plain dress, a modest dwelling, slender means, these things seem to go together. No class has the prerogative of simplicity. No dress, however humble in appearance, is its unfailing badge. Its dwelling need not be a garret. There are people who live simply, and others who do not.
• The benefit of simplicity is that it provides more peace in your life. Simplicity assists you in creating clear goals, focusing on your actions, and getting more done. These factors help in eliminating the clutter and stress produced by undefined goals or purpose. It provides peace and tranquility in your life.
• The benefits of simplicity are under-reacting, self-care, better health, more engaged relationships, hope, massive freedom and benevolence. When we free up resources, need less to be happy, and have time to consider what matters most, we simply become more loving, caring, and giving. These tangible benefits are the secret behind being more with less. Just a taste of the inner workings of simplicity inspires us to go after even more simplicity. We naturally want less of the meaningless stuff and more of what really matters.
• The economic benefits of simplicity can manifest themselves in many ways. Simpler communications were more likely to be read improve the relationship between the institution and the customer. Those who receive the less complex documents are more likely to believe the institution values and acts in the best interests of its customers. They will find the institution to be easy to do business with, and they are more likely to remain with the institution over time. 
• Voluntary simplicity is less about doing without certain things, and more about having just enough. Voluntary simplicity means different things to different people and in different situations. Your level of simplicity depends on your responsibilities to other people. It does not mean abandoning legitimate commitments or imposing your values on other people.
• The first step towards a voluntarily simple life is to gradually begin paring your life down to basic essentials - the things, activities and relationships. The goal here is to unburden yourself of possessions and activities that lock you into the “rat race” of earning more and more money to pay for more and more things you don’t really need; and to free up more time, resources, and energy for things that add real quality and meaning to your life. 
• Simplifying your life and letting go of what’s not important and what you can’t control, without being distracted by worries about what happened earlier or what might happen next. It’s the worry and the desire to be elsewhere that makes people unhappy not what they are actually doing. By clearing out the clutter and distractions, you create (and enjoy) the life you truly want.
• Simplicity leads to life of contentment with desires no more than housing, clothing, food, health and relationships. Simplicity breeds honesty. No ulterior motives. No hidden meanings. Absence of hypocrisy, duplicity, political games, and verbal superficiality. As simplicity, honesty and integrity characterize our lives, there will be no need to manipulate others.
• We can't take anything with us when we die. So, don't allow possessions to anchor you to an unfulfilling life. Live life while you have a life to live!

That man is rich whose pleasures are the cheapest ... Henry David Thoreau
Rich people do not deserve to be rich, poor people do not deserve to be poor. 

My View:

Simplicity in its truest form makes others understand us properly, communicate effectively, increases inter-dependability and saves vast spiritual resources in dealing with each other. In contrast modern way of communicating that never allows other person know us accurately, is another strategy for en-cashing opportunities and maximizing business profits. Extraordinary profits being deeply immoral, simplicity is best way to live life that is free of guilt and burden.