Karnataka High Court bids adieu to two senior judges 

BENGALURU: The Karnataka State Bar Council and Advocates’ Association of Bengaluru bid farewell to two senior High Court judges, Justice Raghvendra S Chauhan and Justice Vineet Kothari, who have been transferred to the High Court of Judicature of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and High Court of Madras, respectively.  

In his address at the farewell organised by the Advocates’ Association of Bengaluru on Friday, Advocate General Uday Holla mentioned the Rajasthani background of three judges -- Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari, Justice Chauhan and Justice Kothari, and said that while Justice Chauhan is like ‘ice,’ known for patient hearing and language, Justice Kothari is like ‘fire’, known for his quick grasping power which has helped reduce pendency of cases. 

Justice Chauhan served in the Karnataka HC for three years, and is remembered for how, during a hearing of a matter related to women’s safety in cabs, he himself checked the panic button installed inside the vehicles. 

Justice Kothari served here for over two years. He made the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike officials show progress in collecting revenue/tax by fixing responsibility and reviewing it frequently. 
Taking note of their service in Karnataka HC, Holla called the Chief Justice — who has given orders to make the city free from unauthorised hoardings and potholes — and the two outgoing judges as three musketeers. 

He said that Justice Chauhan is not just a judge but also an art scholar, who has laid emphasis on knowledge. Justice Kothari believes that justice delayed is justice denied, and has worked towards rapid disposal of pending cases, Holla added, pointing out that he is also a chartered accountant and qualified company secretary. 

While acknowledging the laudable work of both the judges, Chief Justice Maheshwari said that they have developed fondness for Karnataka.

‘Legal fraternity cannot be divided over caste’

Justice Raghvendra S Chauhan on Friday said that the legal fraternity must not at any cost allow itself to be divided on caste, religion, and regions.  Speaking at the farewell programme held in the Karnataka High Court on the eve of his transfer to High Court of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, Justice Chauhan said: “...I also hear a distant thunder which may threaten our very existence as a judicial institution. I am beginning to see cracks in our edifice — cracks caused by our divisions on the basis of caste, creed, and regions.”  Justice Chauhan said that lawyers and judges must work towards the common goal of providing justice.

“We belong to a legal fraternity which cannot be divided on the basis on caste, religion and regions. As a nation, our disunity and disharmony has been the bane of our history. With innumerable challenges coming our way, we must stand united, or else be ready to fall and be forgotten.”  Justice Chauhan requested the gathering to always remember that we all belong to the same nation and to the same community of legal minds. “We may speak different tongues, but the legal language and logic is the same throughout the country. Hence, do remember the motto of the Three Musketeers — One for all, all for one. After all, united we stand, divided we fall”, he said.