Justice A M Khanwilkar hard-working & disciplined judge: CJI

Chief Justice of India CJI N V Ramana Friday said that Supreme Court judge Justice A M Khanwilkar has always been a very hard-working and disciplined judge and his work ethic is clear for all to see.The CJI said that he, along with Justices U U Lalit and Khanwilkar, who are part of the apex court Collegium, cleared over 250 names for appointment as judges of the higher judiciary in the last one year.

Chief Justice of India (CJI) N V Ramana Friday said that Supreme Court judge Justice A M Khanwilkar has always been a very ''hard-working'' and ''disciplined'' judge and his work ethic is clear for all to see.

The CJI said that he, along with Justices U U Lalit and Khanwilkar, who are part of the apex court Collegium, cleared over 250 names for appointment as judges of the higher judiciary in the last one year. ''All the credit goes to my brother judges,'' Justice Ramana said while speaking at a function organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) to bid farewell to Justice Khanwilkar, who demitted office on Friday after a tenure of over six years as an apex court judge came to an end.

With Justice Khanwilkar's retirement, the working strength of the apex court would come down to 31. The top court has a sanctioned strength of 34 judges.

The CJI said Justice Khanwilkar has authored more than 187 judgments and disposed of nearly 8,446 cases in the apex court.

''Brother Justice Khanwilkar has always been a very hard-working and disciplined judge. His work ethic is clear for all to see,'' he said, adding that Justice Khanwilkar has been a ''workaholic'' and that is the impression of everyone. Justice Ramana said he has benefitted from Justice Khanwilkar's wisdom a lot in the Collegium. ''His cooperation and insights have significantly contributed to the progress we made in filling the vacancies in the higher judiciary,'' he said.

''And, thereafter he used to try to take care of the weaker section and women, particularly, whether their cases are properly considered or not. This is a great thing,” the CJI said.

He referred to three judgements of which Justice Khanwilkar was part, including the one which made live streaming of court proceedings a possibility. ''He was a part of the constitution bench in Public Interest Foundation v. Union of India which made the disclosure of criminal antecedents of contesting candidates mandatory. In Kalpana Mehta v. Union of India, brother Justice Khanwilkar was a member of the constitution bench which held that judicial notice of Parliamentary Standing Committee Reports can be taken,'' he said.

Justice Ramana said these are very ''progressive judgements'' which Justice Khanwilkar contributed to the development of laws in these areas.

He said apart from the judicial duties, Justice Khanwilkar actively took up other responsibilities and was the chairman of the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal and he used to conduct proceedings regularly in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic.

''Ever since he took over the chairmanship of the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee in August 2021, he actively promoted the use of technology in the functioning of the committee,'' the CJI said, adding that Justice Khanwilkar conceptualised and launched the SCLSC online portal to enable access to justice for all. He said Justice Khanwilkar has always been a strong proponent of the use of technology and his efforts to digitise the High Court of Madhya Pradesh, where he was the Chief Justice before being elevated to the apex court, are still admired greatly.

''Even in the Supreme Court, he was at the forefront of the digitization initiative,'' he said.

''Although brother Justice Khanwilkar's career on the Supreme Court bench is coming to an end, I am certain that he will continue to work hard in some capacity or other,'' the CJI said.

Justice Ramana said he has been told that Justice Khanwilkar was an avid runner in his young days and has even run all the way from Bombay to Alibaug, a distance of about 100 kilometers.

''Perhaps, post-retirement, he will finally be able to spend more time taking care of his health and fitness,'' he said while wishing him on behalf of all apex court judges. Born on July 30, 1957, in Pune, Justice Khanwilkar did LL.B. from a law college in Mumbai.

He was enrolled as an advocate in February 1982 and later appointed an additional judge of the Bombay High Court on March 29, 2000.

He was appointed the Chief Justice of the High Court of Himachal Pradesh on April 4, 2013, and later the Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court on November 24, 2013.

Justice Khanwilkar was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court and he assumed charge on May 13, 2016.PTI ABA ABA RKS RKS