Madras HC Chief Justice breaks with tradition, delivers address to bid adieu to brother judge

Madras High Court Chief Justice K.R. Shriram (right) and Justice D. Krishnakumar, Chief Justice-designate of the Manipur High Court, during a farewell ceremony accorded to the latter on Thursday
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Madras High Court Chief Justice K.R. Shriram on Thursday (November 21, 2024) broke with tradition with respect to formal farewell ceremonies accorded by the court to its judges by delivering an address to felicitate Justice D. Krishnakumar, the Chief Justice-designate of the Manipur High Court.

The High Court generally bids adieu to its judges with a farewell address by the Advocate General (A-G) and a reply by the judge concerned. However, on Thursday, the lawyers were pleasantly surprised to see the Chief Justice deliver an address, followed by A-G P.S. Raman.

“I want to break the tradition a bit and speak a few words because I had grown very fond of my brother (Justice Krishnakumar) in the last two months. That’s why the Registrar General did not have my address in her minute-to-minute programme,” the Chief Justice told the gathering.

“I feel sombre over his parting but perky and rejoiceful on his elevation as the Chief Justice of Manipur High Court… An elevation to a higher post is not just a career advancement, it is a testament to a judge’s competence, integrity, and commitment to the rule of law,” he added.

In his address, Mr. Raman said, Justice Krishnakumar hailed from Dharapuram in Tiruppur district and got trained under senior counsel K. Duraiswamy before being appointed as Government Advocate between 1991 and 1996 and as Special Government Pleader between 2001 and 2006.

He was also Special Government Pleader (Education) from 2013 to 2016, when he got elevated as a judge of the Madras High Court. The A-G said that Justice Krishnakumar, being a soft-spoken person, was known to maintain calmness and a level head under any circumstance.

“I am sure you will seize the moment in Manipur, and with your skills of diplomacy and dignity, help the Government of Manipur in restoring peace and tranquillity in what is arguably one of the most beautiful states of this country,” the A-G added.