00:00having a best institution, intentions. But the good lawyer can make a judge see what
00:06the judge may otherwise have missed. That is the beauty of our adversarial system. The
00:11lawyer argues, the judge listens. The lawyer persuades, the judge decides. And ultimately
00:17both serve the same master that is the justice. Therefore, I would like to assure the members
00:22of the bar that I value independence of advocacy. A lawyer must be able to stand before the
00:29court and say respectfully but fearlessly that, my lord, I believe the court is wrong and
00:36the judge must have maturity to hear that sentence without taking it personally. Equally, the
00:42bar must recognize that the judge has a constitutional obligation which sometimes requires just to
00:47say, counsel, I am not persuaded and that too must be accepted as a part of judicial process.
00:53We may disagree with each other but we must never lose respect for each other because
00:59courtesy and courage are not opposites. A lawyer can be fearless without being discourteous.
01:05A judge can be firm without being insensitive. That is the relationship I hope to build with
01:11the bar.
01:12I may now refer to the litigant who is at the center of the entire system. There is one person
01:19in this entire system who must never be forgotten. That is the litigant. Sometimes when we deal
01:26with the hundreds of cases, a matter becomes a number on the board but behind every number
01:31there is a human story. Someone has lost liberty. Someone is fighting for property. Someone is
01:37waiting for pension. Someone is seeking justice after years of litigation. Someone is waiting
01:42to know whether his or her marriage, employment, business or reputation will survive. For the court,
01:49it may be one case amongst many. For the litigant, it may be his entire life. We must therefore
01:56strive for speed but not at the cost of fairness. We must strive for efficiency but not at the
02:02cost of hearing. We must embarrass technology but never allow technology to make justice impersonal
02:09because ultimately justice is delivered by the human beings to the human beings. Let me say
02:15something about my learned brother and sister judges. I come here with enormous respect for
02:20my brother and sister judges. The office of the Chief Justice carries administrative responsibility
02:25but judicially every judge of this court is an independent constitutional authority.
02:30I therefore do not see myself as someone standing above any of my colleagues. The Chief Justice is
02:37merely first amongst the equal. I shall seek your cooperation, your wisdom and when necessary
02:43your criticism as well. Because institution becomes stronger when there is room for honest
02:49disagreement. My endeavour will be to build an atmosphere where every judge can work with
02:56independence, dignity and confidence. The Madhya Pradesh High Court has a rich and distinguished
03:01judicial heritage. It has produced great judges, lawyers and jurists who have made significant
03:06contribution to the development of Indian law. I am conscious that I have the privilege
03:11of becoming a part of that tradition and equally conscious that I have the responsibility to
03:16preserve and strengthen it. Let me say a few words about the registry.
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