Citing the severe situation and ‘‘sufferings the world over” due to the coronavirus pandemic, Supreme Court Judge Justice Arun Mishra on Sunday excused himself from farewell invitations of bar bodies. Justice Mishra, who retires on September 2, is a part of two key benches – one of these is to pronounce the sentence awarded to activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan in a contempt case; the other relates to payment of AGR dues by telecom companies.
‘‘I am grateful for your kind invitation inviting me to the farewell function... I have always considered the bar as the mother of the judiciary, and it would have been a great pleasure to attend the said function,” Justice Mishra wrote in the letter.
“However, taking into consideration the severe situation and sufferings the world over on account of the Covid-19 pandemic, my conscience does not permit me to participate in any farewell function,” the letter adds.
