New Delhi, May 23: Supreme Court judge Justice Abhay S. Oka, delivering his farewell speech on Friday in an event organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association, pointed out that the apex court was Chief Justice-centric court, which required a change.

Justice Oka, who is set to demit office on Saturday, said that the diversity of the Supreme Court, having 34 judges from different parts of the country, should be reflected in its functioning.

He lauded ex-CJI Sanjiv Khanna for transparency initiatives, saying that the latter took decisions by taking everyone into confidence.

Justice Oka added that the incumbent CJI BR Gavai has "democratic values embedded in his blood".

In his speech, Justice Oka suggested the listing of the cases in the top court with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). He said that there cannot be an improved listing unless the manual intervention is reduced to a minimum.

Justice Oka, who served as a judge for the last 21 years and 9 months, said that he got so much involved with his judicial work that "judgeship became life and life became judgeship".

He said that when one joins the Bench, they may not get the kind of income a lawyer earns, but the work satisfaction cannot be compared with a career as a lawyer.

"Judgeship is a beautiful concept. When you are a lawyer, you may have several constraints, but when you are a judge, nobody controls you except the Constitution, the laws, and your own conscience," Justice Oka said.

In his farewell speech, Justice Oka recalled the sacrifices undergone by his family, including that of his father, who quit civil practice in the Bombay High Court after his son’s elevation to the Bench. He stressed that district courts or trial courts should not be called subordinate courts.

"No court is subordinate. Calling a court subordinate is against our constitutional ethos," he maintained.

--IANS

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