Outgoing Justice AK Sikri happy to bring smiles on helpless faces

An emotional Justice AK Sikri during his farewell address said that if he has succeeded in his mission to bring smiles on helpless faces, there will always be a smile in his heart. "It is often said that judges should smile more. But I am saying, that is a secondary issue. The primary issue is how many smiles I have been able to bring on the faces of helpless people. If I have succeeded in my mission there, then there will always be a smile in my heart," he said.

"Every judge for a fair decision making should have some element of femininity. I have a part of me that is feminine; after all, justice goddess is in the form of a lady," he added. Delivering his farewell address here, Justice Sikri termed Attorney General KK Venugopal as the 'Bhishma Pitamah' of the legal fraternity.

He also went on to thank his colleagues from both the bar and the bench for their 'affection and support' over the past 42 years. Justice Sikri, who retires today, earlier withdrew consent to be appointed as the member of London-based Commonwealth Secretariat Arbitral Tribunal (CSAT).

Sikri's decision reportedly came after some media reports linked the offer to his decision of ousting Alok Verma as the director of the Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI). The reports allegedly mentioned that the offer from the government was a "reward" to Justice Sikri, who was part of the three-member panel that removed Verma as the CBI chief.