Courts must guard the poor, says Supreme Court judge in farewell speech

Courts must protect the poor and the underprivileged during the coronavirus pandemic even though that might cause friction with the executive, Supreme Court judge, justice Deepak Gupta said in his virtual farewell speech on Wednesday.

“In times of a crisis such as the ones we are living in, the courts must protect the poor and the underprivileged, because it is they who are hit the hardest in trying times. When the court does its duty and acts in favour of the citizens, sometimes there will be friction, but a little friction in my view is a healthy sign that the courts are functioning properly”, he said. The judge also said that a judge should decide cases on the basis of the Constitution alone and should not let their personal beliefs interfere with their role.

Since the top court is shut due to Covid-19, Justice Gupta was given a virtual farewell through Zoom app by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), the first such farewell function given to a retiring judge in the 70-year history of the court. “...[It is] ‘virtual’ because of the medium of communication, our feelings for you are very real”, Chief Justice of India SA Bobde conveyed in a video message.The function was attended by the president of SCBA, Dushyant Dave and attorney general KK Venugopal.