The Madras High Court has got a Tamil-speaking Chief Justice after a long gap of 43 years and “we are very proud and happy about it,” said Advocate General (A-G) P.S. Raman while welcoming Chief Justice K.R. Shriram to the court on Friday (September 27, 2024).
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Earlier in the day, Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi administered the oath of office to Justice Shriram on his assumption of office as the 53rd Chief Justice of the Madras High Court. The swearing-in ceremony was held at the Raj Bhavan in Chennai.
Subsequently, according a formal welcome at the High Court campus, the A-G told the gathering that though the Chief Justice hails from Mumbai, his family had deep roots in the erstwhile Madras Presidency which comprised of most of the southern States.
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He pointed out that the letter ‘K’ in the Chief Justice’s name stood for Kalpathi, a town in Palakkad region of Kerala, famous for the Vishwanathaswamy Temple located on the banks of Kalpathi River which was one of the tributaries of Bharathapuzha.
“It is a place which is rich in culture and tradition and more importantly it has both Malayalam and Tamil as spoken languages. I am aware Your Lordship is very conversant in the Tamil language and this fact has a historic significance,” the A-G said.
He went on to state that the last Tamil-speaking Chief Justice of the High Court was M.M. Ismail who resigned on July 9, 1981. A Tamil-speaking Chief Justice is a happy moment for a State which is deeply protective of the ancient language, he said.
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Introducing the Chief Justice to the gathering, the A-G said that he was born on September 28, 1963 and obtained his degrees in commerce and law from the University of Mumbai before moving to the King’s College in London for his Master’s degree in maritime law.
On his return to India, he joined the office of S. Venkateswaran, a master in maritime law, on July 3, 1986 and had a flourishing practice in commercial litigation not necessarily restricted to admiralty law. He was elevated as a judge of Bombay High Court on June 27, 2013.
The Chief Justice loves to play golf and has deep interest in social causes. During his stint as a lawyer, he had served as the vice-chairman of a non-governmental organization that performs obsequies to the departed, the A-G said.
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The Chief Justice began delivering his acceptance speech in fluent Tamil and said he had memorized about 500 Tirukural couplets during his school days. He said that Tamil Nadu was a place known for its glorious history, culture and tradition.
Pointing out that both the Bombay High Court and the Madras High Court were chartered High Courts which hold high values and tradition, he said, he was the seventh judge from the Bombay High Court to become the Chief Justice of Madras High Court.
“I am aware of the greatest traditions and values of the Madras High Court. For the last 150 years, the Bar here has produced various legal luminaries and gifted the country with some of the greatest judges... I only wish to play my part in upholding the traditions,” he said.
Expecting the fullest cooperation of the Bar for the smooth and successful functioning of the judiciary in the State, he concluded his acceptance speech by reading two Tirukural couplets on judicial integrity and the virtues expected from a judge.
Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry chairman P. S. Amalraj, Madras High Court Advocates Association president G. Mohanakrishnan, Madras Bar Association president M. Baskar and the presidents of Women Lawyers Association as well as the Law Association too welcomed the Chief Justice.