NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court held an event on Tuesday in remembrance of two former chief justices of India who died this year.
Speaking at the full court reference, which was attended by the judges of the top court along with the members of the bar, including Attorney General R Venkataramani and Supreme Court Bar Association president and senior advocate Vikas Singh, Chief Justice of India (CJI) U U Lalit said the gathering has “congregated this afternoon to remember and pay homage” to late justices R C Lahoti and Kamal Narain Singh.
Justice Singh, the 22nd CJI, had the shortest tenure after his appointment on November 25, 1991, 18 days before his retirement.
Appointed as the CJI on June 1, 2004, Justice Lahoti was the 35th judge to hold the post. He demitted the office on October 31, 2005.
The CJI recalled the contributions made by two of his predecessors and informed that during his tenure as a Supreme Court judge, Justice Lahoti authored 342 judgments and commanded respect from the bench, the bar as well as litigants.
“He made significant contributions in promoting alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, ensuring cheap and speedy justice and achieving the vision of access to justice for all, particularly the downtrodden and weaker sections of the society,” CJI Lalit said.
In his address, he informed that Justice Singh “even took part in the freedom movement” and in a case before him, held that “capital punishment can be awarded in the rarest of rare cases alone”.
Born in December 1926, Justice Singh, who practised law, was made an additional judge of the Allahabad High Court in August 1970 and a permanent judge in August 1972. He was elevated to the Supreme Court on March 10, 1986. He died on September 8 at the age of 95.
Justice Lahoti was born in November 1940 and was appointed as an additional judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court in May 1988. He was made a permanent judge in August 1989.
Before his elevation to the Supreme Court on December 9, 1998, Justice Lahoti was also transferred to the Delhi High Court in February 1994. He breathed his last on March 23 at the age of 81. Justice Lahoti was appointed as an arbitrator by the Centre in the Rs 20,000-crore high-profile tax dispute case with telecom major Vodafone. (PTI)