The first woman Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, Justice G. Rohini, on Thursday bade farewell to what she termed the “most prestigious high court of the country”.
Having held the post for three years, Justice Rohini said: “It is a matter of pride for me to have become the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court which has a unique place in the legal system.”
While bidding farewell to the members of the bar and the Bench, she said: “It’s a long and strong attachment I have developed with the system of administration of justice.”
“When I started as an advocate, it was completely unplanned. It is my great fortune that I could become the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, the most prestigious high court in the country. it is a matter of pride for me to be the first woman Chief Justice of this court,” she said.
‘Never my choice’
Justice Rohini said she joined the profession “by chance” and that “it was never my choice”. I had serious doubts if I could continue in this profession, she said as she thanked her seniors and mentors.
Justice Rohini also said she always believed in quality rather than quantity while passing judgments and added that the “Delhi HC today occupies a unique place in our country’s legal system because of the quality of justice delivered”.
She thanked her court staff, law researchers, chauffeurs and stenographers for assisting her in her work. In her tenure of three years, she delivered some landmark judgments, including the verdict holding the Lieutenant-Governor to be the administrative head of Delhi.
Justice Rohini also cancelled the environment clearance granted to Tata Camelot project holding it to be in the catchment area of Sukhna lake while observing that sustainable development has been recognised as going hand-in-hand with development.
Justice Rohini's appointment had taken the number of woman judges in Delhi HC to 10. Soon after her retirement, senior advocates Pratibha Singh and Rekha Palli would join the Bench. Justice Gita Mittal, who would be taking over as the Acting Chief Justice on Friday, said, “Her decisions stood out for her depth of legal knowledge”.
Quoting Martin Luther king, Justice Mittal said of Justice Rohini, “A leader is not a searcher for consensus but a moulder of consensus” and praised her for “her strength and ability to take quick decisions and humility”.
Schemes launched
It is to be noted that under her leadership, 7,167 Lok Adalats were held while many schemes such as Delhi witness protection scheme and scheme for the children of incarcerated persons were brought out. Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain said: “She never allowed Public Interest Litigation to become Publicity Interest Litigation but never turned away any honest litigant while ensuring that the government of the day gives to the common man what it should”.
Sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court on April 21, 2014, Justice Rohini, hailing from Visakhapatnam, thanked her parents and mentors for having faith in her. “I wish every girl child gets parents like I had who respected the sentiments of their daughter,” she said. While concluding her farewell speech, she said: “I am the most contented person today... parting is painful but it is part of life. What remains forever is the great institution... I hope and pray that you shall keep up the glory of this institution.”
