Supreme Court judge Justice Jasti Chelameswar, who retired on Friday, has said he stood up for certain “issues and values” wherever he perceived things were going wrong and had nothing personal against anyone in the system.
“I stood up for certain issues and values. Wherever I perceived that things were going wrong, I stood up, I raised questions... If something is good, it is to be preserved. If something is doubtful, it is to be checked and rectified, I had nothing personal against anyone in the system,” Justice Chelameswar said in a farewell event on Friday.
He also said the younger generation of lawyers has supported him in “democratising the institution”, but acknowledged constitutional lawyers and jurists attacked him from every side.
“What is the law or the scripture which says judges cannot hold press conferencesIJ They shouldn't hold a press conference to defend their judgments, I knew that when I opened my mouth I would have to go through all this and I was willing to take it...,” he added.