SC judge Arijit Pasayat has created a record of sorts by becoming the first SC judge to have signed 2,303 judgements.
Supreme Court (SC) judge Arijit Pasayat, a “no-nonsense” man according to former attorney general Soli J Sorabjee, has created a record of sorts by becoming the first SC judge to have signed 2,303 judgements since he joined the apex court on October 19, 2001.
A marvellous achievement, particularly at a time when there’s a public outcry against delayed justice.
Pasayat’s SC innings will end on May 10, which gives him ample time to strengthen the record and make it a gigantic target for his colleagues as well as successors to surmount, at least in the near future.
It wouldn’t be inappropriate to recall justice K Ramaswamy’s achievements in this context. He served SC for eight years and retired on July 12, 1997, as the judge who delivered most judgments. In his tenure, he singed 2,255 verdicts, a record Pasayat has now broken.
Ramaswamy is closely followed by none other than former chief justice JC Shah, who retired in 1971 after 11-odd years in the apex court. At the time of retirement, he had signed 1,800 verdicts.
These figures only reflect the pace of justice deliverance, not the competence or merit of judges. It’s purely a statistical exercise.
The importance of a judgment depends on the facts of its reliance. Former chief justice PN Bhagwati retired in 1986 after serving SC for 13 years and deciding 802 cases. But his judgments are still quoted and relied upon in most cases.
The ruling in the Maneka Gandhi case that all administrative actions must also be just and fair has been quoted by SC in over 160 judgments. Whenever the issue of PIL is discussed, Bhagwati and his judgments are always referred to.
“For me, he is the tallest of all,” senior lawyer Aruneshwar Gupta, who, like a keen cricketer, is in the habit of keeping a watch on judicial performances, says.
“The quantity and quality of a judgment are of paramount importance.Quantity shows capacity and quality demonstrates the unusual mind of a judge,” he says, adding, “Lord Denning (UK) is widely quoted in Indian judgments. So is justice Bhagwati.”
Gupta is working on a new venture called ‘Know your judges’, a book based on judges’ statistics.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}