At Chief Justice Farewell, A Note From His Successor On "True Patriotism"

Evaluating beliefs on the touchstone of constitutional morality amounts to "true patriotism", senior Supreme Court Judge Ranjan Gogoi said at the farewell ceremony of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra in New Delhi today.  

Justice Ranjan Gogoi, who is set to become the head of the Supreme Court on October 3, showered praises on the outgoing CJI at the event.

"Justice Dipak Misra has continuously upheld the freedom of the individual, freedom to choose... He has supported women's rights. His words have inspired people," the senior judge said, adding that he will continue in the footsteps of a judge who has played a part in settling several challenging cases ranging from "mob lynching to honour killing".

The CJI designate began his address by describing the attributes of Supreme Court judges with a quote by noted author Jonathan Swift: "Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others". He said the Supreme Court not only has to maneuver difficult legal questions but also nudge society into thinking constructively.

"In times of great political churning, alongside huge diversity of thought and opinion, we are divided, perhaps more than ever, by lines of caste, religion, ideology... these are issues that cut and divide us. They make us hate those who are different. The challenge is to protect a common world view," Justice Ranjan Gogoi added.

Stressing on the importance of holding true to constitutional ideals, Justice Ranjan Gogoi said failure to do so would result in people continuing to "kill and hate each other". But the judges of the Supreme Court are committed to protecting these ideals, and "will remain committed", he added.

"We live in times when what we should eat, wear have stopped being little things of our personal lives," Justice Ranjan Gogoi said, hinting at recent developments in India.

(With inputs from PTI)