Justice Sanjay Karol retires: 'Judges are not gods,' he said

Justice Sanjay Karol retired from the Supreme Court on Saturday, August 22, with a farewell speech that centered on judicial humility. "We, as judges, are not gods. We will not get every judgment right," he said, according to PTI. He added that what was always in a judge's hands was "to see the person, not just the petitioner."

His remarks came as the Supreme Court bid him an emotional farewell. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, and Supreme Court Bar Association president Pradeep Rai paid tributes on his last working day.

Karol was elevated to the Supreme Court on February 6, 2023, after serving as chief justice of the Patna High Court and, before that, the Tripura High Court. He was first elevated as a judge of the Himachal Pradesh High Court on March 8, 2007.

In his address, Karol said the courtroom had never been merely a workplace but a vehicle for something "greater and more important" than himself. He spoke about "eloquent silences" in courtrooms that judges must learn to understand. "In the silence of the Bar, there is a way of listening," he said.

He recalled his first visit to courtroom No. 1 of the Supreme Court in 1996, noting that the bench appeared to be almost six feet above the ground. "From below, the height of the bench can appear to signify authority. From the comfort zone, it signifies something quite different, and that is responsibility with dignity and honesty," he said.