Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Saturday recalled a recent incident of him facing “trolling” and “vicious abuse” for adjusting his seating position, during a hearing due to discomfort.
He was speaking after inaugurating the 21st Biennial State Level Conference of Judicial Officers in Bengaluru where he stressed management of stress and ensuring work-life balance.
Speaking on work-life balance and stress management, which was one of the topics of the two-day conference, he said the capacity to manage stress is significant in the life of a judge, especially for district judges.
The CJI shared his personal experience which occurred recently. He said he was also trolled recently based on the live-streaming of an important hearing. “Just four or five days ago when I was hearing a case, I had a little pain in my back, so all that I did was I placed my elbows in my armchair in the court and I just shifted my position in the chair,” news agency PTI quoted Justice Chandrachud as saying.
He continued narrating that there were several comments on social media which alleged that the Chief Justice of India was “so arrogant” that he got up in the midst of an important argument in court.
“What they didn’t tell you was that all he did was only to shift his position in the chair. 24 years of judging can be a little strenuous which I have put in. I didn’t leave the court. I only shifted my position, but I was subject to vicious abuse, and trolling, the knives were out but I do believe that our shoulders are broad enough and the ultimate confidence that we have is of common citizens in the work which we do,” he noted.
CJI Chandrachud also recalled when he was the Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court, he constantly heard about how young, middle-level and senior-level judges were treated.
“Sometimes in their dealings with us as judges, they cross the line. As Chief Justice of India, I see so many lawyers and litigants crossing the line when they speak to us in court. The answer when these litigants cross the line is not to use the power of contempt (of court), but to understand why they have crossed the line,” Justice Chandrachud said, according to PTI.
At the event, the CJI also hailed the judiciary in Karnataka for the speedy disposal of cases. “I was amazed when I learnt the statistics. Between January 1, 2023 and March 23, 2024, 21.25 lakh cases were instituted in the district judiciary in Karnataka. As many as 20.62 lakh cases have been disposed. So we are short by a few thousand….this is really a performance to replicate and be emulated across the country,” the CJI said.
“You (judicial officers in Karnataka) are blessed to belong to a state where these stories are only heard about and not witnessed during your day-to-day work,” he said.