'Musafir hain hum bhi…' : Poetic farewell by CJI to colleague Justice Krishan Murari

A farewell function organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association for Justice Krishan Murari, witnessed an atmosphere filled with poetry by Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud.

 "Musafir hain hum bhi, musafir ho tum bhi, kisi mod par fir mulaqat hogi (I am a traveller, so are you. We will meet again at some point)," the CJI recited Bashir Badr’s verse in his speech during Friday's function.

“Justice Murari has always treated people with kindness, be it his juniors, court staff or judicial clerks,” he said for his outgoing colleague, who will demit office on Saturday.

He lauded Justice Murari for his contribution in service and family law and also spoke about his calm demeanour and humility during the court proceedings.

"He shared with me something yesterday... He said 'I have never lost my temper with a member of a bar or a litigant in person throughout my judicial career even once'," CJI Chandrachud said.

Justice Chandrachud concluded his speech with another shayari.

"Aapke saath kuch lamhe kai yaaden bataur inaam mile, ek safar par nikle aur tujurbe tamam mile (I got a few moments with you, and many memories, as rewards, we went on a journey and got many experiences),” he said.

In his speech, Justice Murari also recited a couplet: "Kadam uthe bhi nahin aur safar tamaam hua, gazab hai raah ka itna bhi mukhtasar hona (Didn't even take a step and the journey ended, its amazing how the path is cut short).

“If our constitution is the arch on the edifice of which our nation rests then the Supreme Court is the key stone holding this constitutional arch in place. "

He underlined that senior members of the bar need to take care of their juniors, pay them well and support them in their career.

“I am lucky to have had D.Y. Chandrachud as my Chief Justice twice, once at Allahabad and now here. I thank him for his magnanimity towards me and other brother and sister judges,” he added.

Before being elevated to the Supreme Court, both CJI Chandrachud and Justice Murari served as Judges at the Allahabad High Court.

Justice Muraari ended his farewell speech with another couplet by Wajid Ali Shah, the last King of Awadh: "Dar-o-deewar pe hasrat se nazar karte hain, khush raho ahl-e-watan hum to safar karte hain (I look longingly at the doors and the walls, be happy, fellow countrymen, we travel)."

Along with other judges of the Supreme Court, Attorney General of India R. Venkataramani, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, SCBA President Adish Aggarwala and others were present at the function.

With the retirement of Justice Murari, the strength of the apex will come down to 30 against the sanctioned strength of 34 judges.

On July 5, the Supreme Court Collegium recommended appointments of Telangana High Court's Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and his Kerala counterpart, Chief Justice S. Venkatanarayana Bhatti as apex court judges.

Justice Murari, who studied law from Allahabad University, was appointed as an additional judge of the Allahabad High Court in 2004.

Before his elevation as a supreme court judge, he was serving as Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.