Justice Paresh Upadhyay | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has written to Justice Paresh Upadhyay of the Madras High Court in view of his retirement from service on Tuesday, saying that since then his brilliant presence and effective administration of justice he was transferred here From the Gujarat High Court in September last year, the litigant public of the state had benefited.
“Though your tenure as a judge of the Madras High Court was only 15 months, my people and my state have greatly benefited from your rich, reasoned and remarkable judgments… I am sure it is a matter of great pride for us Have you served as a judge of this prestigious and historic Madras High Court,” read the chief minister’s letter.
In his farewell speech, Advocate General (AG) R. Shunmugasundaram told the gathering that every High Court judge gets a ‘Transfer Allowance’ on transfer from the parent High Court to another High Court. Justice Paresh Upadhyay, however, returned his entire transfer allowance of around Rs 3.15 lakh to the Tamil Nadu government.
“When I asked him about it, he casually replied that he always felt at home in Tamil Nadu,” the AG said amid thunderous applause. He also said that the judge had endeared himself to the Madras Bar by his brotherly affection, judicial probity, ethical standards and above all, providing a fair and just court experience.
Pointing out that Justice Upadhyay enrolled as an advocate only in January 1996, but was elevated as a Judge of the Gujarat High Court only in November 2011, Mr. Shunmugasundaram said, after just 15 years at the Bar His elevation as well, was sufficient for his portrayal. Impressive achievements in a short span of time.
‘Tamil Nadu welcomes me with open arms’
In his acceptance speech, Justice Upadhyay recalled that he started earning livelihood for his family as a lower division clerk in a government office and entered the legal profession late. He was enrolled in the Bar Council at the age of 35.
“Theoretically, upholding the law should also lead to justice, but after being on the bench for over a decade, I can say that this may not always be true. As judges, we need to be aware of such situations. faced where either the law would be upheld, or justice would be done. I had no illusions about my choice. I tried to do justice with the aid of the law whenever it was available, even when without requirement and sometimes, even beyond that if that was the only option,” he said.
He further said, “While sitting on a high chair, sometimes we lose sight of the fact that the last man of our society is raising his hand to help.” Whenever I see a poor person lying on the ground, I bend over from behind to hold his hand. Even when I couldn’t reach that poor guy, I wasn’t even ashamed to get down on my knees and I’m proud of it.
He thanked the entire state of Tamil Nadu for welcoming him with open arms and taking care of him like a mother. “I am honored to be a part of this state and this prestigious High Court,” he said.
Acting Chief Justice T. Raja, other judges of the High Court, State Public Prosecutor Hasan Muhammad Jinnah and other law officers attended the event.