Justice Badar Durrez Ahmed, who will soon assume the charge as the Chief Justice of Jammu & Kashmir High Court, on Thursday advocated increased use of technology in the process of delivering justice, especially in criminal cases while observing that the rule of law means different things to different people.
Emotional speech
Justice Ahmed was given a farewell by his colleagues and the members of the Bar who were all praises for his intellect, etiquette and humble nature.
Justice Ahmed, who has served as a judge of the Delhi High Court for 14 years, broke down several times while delivering his farewell speech. “Every day that I have spent in this court has given meaning to my life,” Justice Ahmed said. “This is what I feared,” he said as he broke down at the start of his speech. “It has been a difficult day,” said an emotional Justice Ahmed.
He also advised senior lawyers to encourage their juniors to argue and guide them when they are in difficulty while asking junior lawyers to temper their arguments with politeness and civility. He also said that the lawyers must not say anything in the court resulting in the loss of their credibility.
Defining justice
Justice Ahmed also observed that “there was a need to understand that rule of law means different things to different people — for a young girl about to be harassed, justice means her cries for help are heard and she is saved. For a 12-year-old labouring in a coal mine, justice means he is guaranteed childhood and education while for a family locked in its house fearing an angry mob knocking at the door, justice means their calls to 100 are answered quickly and they are saved”.
‘Gifted personality’
Justice Ahmed was enrolled as an Advocate in 1980 with the Bar Council of Delhi and started practice in the Supreme Court of India and Delhi High Court.
While bidding him farewell, Chief Justice G. Rohini said he was a “gifted personality and an example of leadership”. In the recent past, Justice Ahmed had passed a range of orders and directions to ensure enhanced police force for women safety in the Capital, improved mortuaries, cleaner air and efficient solid waste management.
