Supreme Court’s Justice Arun Mishra, who retires on September 2, has declined an invitation for a farewell extended to him by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and the Confederation of Indian Bar. In a letter, the judge said that his “conscience does not permit me to participate in any farewell function,” amid the "severe situation and suffering the world over" on account of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I am grateful for your kind invitation inviting me in the farewell function... I have always considered the bar as the mother of the judiciary, and it would have been a great pleasure to attend said function,” he said.
“However, taking into consideration the severe situation and sufferings the world over on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, my conscience does not permit me to participate in any farewell function," Justice Mishra wrote to the bar bodies.
He assured the bodies that he would “certainly visit the Bar and pay my respect,” as and when the situation normalises.
Earlier, there had been a rumour that the SCBA had decided against holding a farewell to the judge, after a false statement did the rounds on social media. However, SCBA President Dushyant Dave had strongly refuted such rumours.
“The Press release being attributed to the EC is not genuine and is strongly denied by me on behalf of the EC. I strongly condemn the same as being mischievous and an attempt to malign the SCBA,” Dave had said.
Justice Mishra was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court of India in July 2014. Before his retirement, he pronounced a key judgment on the contempt case against Prashant Bhusan and is set to pronounce a key judgment in the case of payment of AGR dues by telcos.
Justice Mishra was appointed as a judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on October 25, 1999. He was then appointed as the Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court in November 2010, and was transferred to Calcutta High Court at Calcutta in December 2012 as the Chief Justice. He was elevated to the Supreme Court in June 2014.