Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh): MP High Court bids farewell to retiring Judge Ravi Malimath on May 24. Judges from both the high court and district courts, along with court staff and senior lawyers, joined in the send-off.
Justice Sheel Nagu, the most senior judge in the MP High Court, will step in as the acting chief justice starting May 25. An official order appointing Justice Nagu to this role has been issued by the Ministry of Law & Justice.
"I'm proud to say I have many enemies. But I answer only to the Constitution," he declared.
In his goodbye speech, Justice Malimath restated his strong dedication to the Constitution and criticised those who tried to block his career. Talking about his journey, he pointed out his successes, like solving lots of cases and bringing in new court changes. He also shared his plan for faster justice in the future, stressing the need for big changes in the system. Justice Malimath's leaving marks the end of a great time in the court, where he worked really hard for the legal system.
Looking back on his career, Justice Malimath talked about the times when he was moved to different places, thinking he'd be made Chief Justice, but it didn't happen until his time in Madhya Pradesh.
"I wasn't made Chief Justice in Karnataka, Uttarakhand, or Himachal Pradesh. Despite these moves meant to unsettle me, I remained strong," he remarked.
He made it clear that he was dedicated to serving the people of Madhya Pradesh over those who had their own interests in the court's matters.
"Throughout my time here, people tried to influence this court. I've protected it from such influences for the sake of the institution. Given the chance, I would do it all over again," he said.
Justice Malimath talked about the changes he made in the High Court, like making the court work longer each day to deal with the backlog of cases.
"I've solved over 65,600 cases during my time here, one of the highest in the country. In Madhya Pradesh alone, over 17,700 cases were solved in 538 days," he said.
He also talked about plans like the debt scheme, which was meant to speed up the resolution of old cases in district courts. He talked about his 'Vision 2047', where he wanted no case to be left pending for more than a year.
"I don't owe anyone anything, as no one has helped me. Systemic changes are very important, considering all the problems the judiciary is facing," concluded retiring Chief Justice Malimath.
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