Chief Justice of India NV Ramana on Wednesday said that Justice Ashok Bhushan, who is set to retire on July 4, has always been a “valuable colleague” and his judgments stand testimony to his “welfarist and humanist” approach. The CJI, while bidding farewell to Justice Bhushan said he has been a great value addition to the higher judiciary and will be remembered for his judicial contributions.
June 30 was Justice Bhushan’s last working day. His mother passed away recently and he has to attend her last rites in coming days. On Wednesday, the Bench headed by him passed the judgment on need for granting ex-gratia to Covid victims. On Tuesday, the Bhushan headed Bench passed a detailed judgment directing all States to implement One Nation One Ration Card and several welfare measures for migrant and un-organised sector labour.
Justice Bhushan, who was elevated as an apex court judge on May 13, 2016, was part of several landmark judgements including the November 2019 verdict by a five-judge Constitution bench which cleared the way for construction of Ram Temple at Ayodhya. He was also part of a five-judge Constitution bench which had in September 2018 declared the Centre's flagship Aadhaar scheme as constitutionally valid but struck down some of its provisions including its linking with bank accounts, mobile phones and school admissions.
Besides, Justice Bhushan headed the five-judge Constitution bench which had last month refused to refer to a larger bench the issue whether to revisit its 29-year-old Mandal verdict putting cap on quotas at 50 per cent and quashed a Maharashtra law granting reservations to Marathas in admissions and government jobs in the state, saying it violated the principle of right to equality.
While bidding farewell, CJI Ramana said that Justice Bhushan's journey has “truly been remarkable” and he has spent nearly two decades delivering justice in constitutional courts.
“His presence on the bench and on the committees that I am a member of has been so very reassuring. Simply because, he is, first and foremost, a great human being. This quality has found abundant reflection in discharge of his duties – both while facing and adorning the bench,” said the CJI, who was heading a bench which also comprised Justice Bhushan.
Attorney General K K Venugopal, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and senior advocate and President of Supreme Court Bar Association Vikas Singh also bid farewell to Justice Bhushan. Justice Bhushan had obtained law degree from Allahabad University in 1979 and was enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh on April 6, 1979. He was elevated as permanent judge of the Allahabad High Court on April 24, 2001. He was sworn in as a judge of the Kerala High Court on July 10, 2014. Justice Bhushan was sworn in as the chief justice of Kerala High Court in March 2015.