Seldom do judges get to unwind and enjoy lighter moments with colleagues or at the Bar meets. It was an emotional evening, filled with nostalgia and shayari at the Supreme Court auditorium as judges of the Supreme Court hosted a farewell dinner for Justice Krishna Murari. July 7, Friday, was the last working day of Justice Krishna Murari.

Who is Justice Krishna Murari

Justice Murari was the former Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court. Later he became a Supreme Court judge. Earlier, he had also served as a judge of Allahabad High Court.

Murari was born in a family of legal luminaries in Uttar Pradesh. His uncles were well-known advocates. Murari graduated from Allahabad University in Prayagraj with a bachelor’s degree in law. In December 1981, he registered as an advocate and began representing clients in civil, constitutional, business, and revenue cases in the Allahabad High Court.

He worked as standing counsel for the Uttar Pradesh State Yarn Company, Northern Railway Primary Co-operative Bank, Uttar Pradesh State Textile Corporation, etc.

At the function organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), Chief Justice Of India DY Chandrachud held the audience captive with his couplets of well-known Urdu poets like Bashir Badr.

“Musafir hain hum bhi, musafir ho tum bhi, kisi mod par fir mulaqat hogi (I am a traveller, so are you. We will meet again at some point),” the CJI recited these lines by popular poet Bashir Badr.

Justice Murari, also recited a couplet — “Kadam uthe bhi nahin aur safar tamaam hua, gazab hai raah ka itna bhi mukhtasar hona (Didn’t even take a step and the journey ended, its amazing how the path is cut short).”

He said it was both an emotional and difficult moment for him, and ended his speech with another couplet “Dar-o-deewar pe hasrat se nazar karte hain, khush raho ahl-e-watan hum to safar karte hain (I look longingly at the doors and the walls, be happy, fellow countrymen, we travel).”

Justice Chandrachud concluded his speech with this couplet– “Aapke saath kuch lamhe kai yaaden bataur inaam mile, ek safar par nikle aur tujurbe tamam mile (I got a few moments with you, and many memories, as rewards, we went on a journey and got many experiences). Interestingly, Wajid Ali Shah, the last King of Awadh, had said this at the time when the British banished him from Lucknow and sent him to Kolkata.

Recalling how outgoing Justice Murari was always calm, and never lost his cool, Justice Chandrachud talked about the endearing ‘Kanpuri touch’ in his accent.

The CJI also revealed how old timers like Justice Murari struggled initially when the court went paperless stressing on online work. As part of a five-member constitution bench, Justice Murari had hesitated using a laptop and i-Pad. Justice PS Narasimha then came to his rescue after which he started working like a pro on the electronic devices.

Justice Murari accepted his discomfort with the i-pad and how he also sought help from judicial clerks, and did not stop till he learnt working on it on his own.

Justice Krishna Murari thanked the CJI for his generosity. “I thank the CJI for granting this opportunity to engage with technology, without which it’s difficult to work,” he said.

He has worked with justice DY Chandrachud as his chief justice twice — in Allahabad High Court and then Supreme Court.