'I am thankful for all the kindness I received,' says CJI Dipak Misra days ahead of his farewell

Days ahead of his farewell, CJI Dipak Misra has acknowledged the support he has received from the country, 'thanking' the nation for the 'kindness' he was blessed with during his tenure. The 45th CJI will retire from his post on October 2, 2018, a day before he turns 65.

Speaking about his time as the top-most judge of the country, he said, "Don't bless me more than necessary. Much blessings are not required. I worked 24/7. In future, I don't know whether people will recognise me or not, but I assure you that I will recognise everyone. I am thankful for all kind of kindness I received."

The Indian judiciary will begin a new era on October 3, when Justice Ranjan Gogoi will take oath as the 46th CJI. But it will also mark an end of a successful term of Dipak Misra, under whose observation many landmark and historic judgments were pronounced by the Supreme Court.

The week preceding to his farewell has seen a number of major cases taken up by in the SC. On Wednesday, the apex court had pronounced verdicts on the validity of Aadhar and the quota benefits for SC/ST in job promotions.

In the Aadhar case, the five-judge benched headed by CJI upheld the Aadhar act, though, struck down a few provisions. In a 4:1 judgment - Justice DY Chandrachud pronouncing a dissenting judgment - the SC stated that Aadhar is beneficial for poor, while adding that linking Aadhaar to bank accounts and mobile phones is not mandatory.

On Thursday morning, in the first of the important cases taken up by the apex court, CJI, heading a five-judge bench, declared Adultery law as 'manifestly arbitrary' while striking down the 150-year-old law by declaring it as unconstitutional. 

"Women’s individual dignity is important. Husband is not the master of a woman. The Legal sovereignty of one sex over another is wrong. Section 497 is unconstitutional. Equality is the need of the hour," said CJI Misra while pronouncing the judgment.

It was then followed by the big decision on Ayodhya. A three-judge bench rejected a plea to refer the Ayodhya case to a larger bench on Thursday afternoon. In a 2:1 verdict - Justice Abdul Nazeer gave out the dissenting judgment - Justice Ashok Bhushan, speaking for himself and on behalf of CJI, stated the apex court will treat the matter as a 'land issue', and that they will also hear the Babri pleas from the week commencing October 29.

READ: Sabarimala Verdict: Will Women Be Allowed To Enter The Sabarimala Temple? 5-judge Bench To Pronounce The Verdict Tomorrow

Another important matter which the CJI will take before his farewell will be the Sabrimala case. On Friday, the SC will deliver a verdict in relation to the ban on entry of women in the age group of 10-50 into in Kerala's famous Sabarimala temple.