On his final working day at the Supreme Court, Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka delivered a powerful parting message, affirming that a judge’s duty lies not in garnering popularity but in fearlessly upholding liberty and the constitutional values, even if it means offending others.

Sitting on the ceremonial Bench alongside Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih, Justice Oka reflected on his judicial journey, expressing gratitude while reaffirming his unwavering commitment to the principles enshrined in the Constitution and the stream of liberty running through it.

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“It was my honest endeavour to uphold the Constitution. In that honest endeavour, I may have offended a few lawyers. But I always believe that a judge has to be very firm, strict, and that a judge should not hesitate to offend anyone [while pursuing the cause of justice],” said Justice Oka.

Despite the personal loss of his mother in the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday, Justice Oka flew to Mumbai for the last rites and was back in the Supreme Court Friday morning, where he delivered a record 11 judgments on his final day on the Bench.

Recalling the advice of a senior judge, he said, “A great judge once told me, ‘You are not becoming a judge to become popular’. I followed that advice to the hilt. I was harsh only for one reason—to uphold the Constitution.”

“I believe this (Supreme Court) is one court which can uphold constitutional liberties. That was my humble endeavour. I am sure this court will continue to uphold liberty, because that was the dream of the framers of the Constitution,” he said in his farewell remarks at the ceremonial bench.

Justice Oka—a known non-believer—had in the past voiced his reservations about judges participating in ceremonial lamp-lighting rituals and making public their religious affiliations, reinforcing his commitment to secularism and judicial neutrality.

Speaking at the end of what became the longest ceremonial Bench farewell in recent memory, lasting more than an hour and a half, Justice Oka was visibly moved by the tributes paid to his judicial career.

“I am truly speechless. I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart. I will only cherish the memories made in this court,” he said with emotion.

Those who addressed the ceremonial Bench included Attorney General R Venkataramani, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, Additional Solicitors General SV Raju and Aishwarya Bhati, SCBA President Vikas Singh, his immediate predecessor Kapil Sibal, and senior advocates Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Huzefa Ahmadi, and Madhavi Divan, among others.

With a judicial life rooted in integrity, Justice Oka, who demits office officially on May 24, was born on May 25, 1960. A graduate in law from Bombay University, he enrolled as an advocate in June 1983. He began his legal career at Thane District Court in the chamber of his father, Shreeniwas W Oka, and later trained under VP Tipnis, a former judge of the Bombay High Court.

He was elevated as an Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court on August 29, 2003, and became a Permanent Judge on November 12, 2005. He served as Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court from May 10, 2019, before being elevated to the Supreme Court of India on August 31, 2021.

At his farewell organised by the Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association (SCAORA) on May 21, Justice Oka remarked that he disliked the tradition of retiring judges refraining from work on their final day.

“I hate the word retirement,” he said, adding that since January, he had made it his resolve to hear and dispose of as many matters as possible before demitting office.

Leaving behind an unwavering legacy of courage, integrity, discipline, and constitutional vigilance, Justice Oka’s tenure is marked by landmark rulings on civil liberties, rule of law, and executive accountability.

His belief—that judges must sometimes take unpopular stances in the service of the Constitution—serves as a lasting reminder of the judiciary’s role as a guardian of fundamental rights.

Justice Oka departs, leaving behind not just judgments, but an ethos—one of courage, independence, and fidelity to the constitutional dream—and a declaration that he will not accept any post-retirement position/post from the government.

Gifted with the rare quality of combining “legal acumen with human empathy”, Justice Oka at a farewell function organised by the Supreme court Bar Association later in the evening said, “Unlike a lawyer whose performance is constraints by several factors, including his/her opponent, one’s own client or at time being faced with a hostile judge, but when a judge sits in the court, no body controls him except Constitution, law or his own conscience.”