Orissa high court chief justice Dr S Muralidhar demitted office on Monday, bringing the curtain down on his 17-year illustrious career which saw him pass some crucial judgments in sensitive matters.
A full court farewell reference on Monday afternoon at Cuttack saw the outgoing chief justice express his gratitude to his colleagues at the Orissa high court and elsewhere for their support, with a special mention of justice (retired) Akil Kureshi, former chief justice of Rajasthan high court who was present on the occasion, in his speech.
“I must here acknowledge some of my former colleagues who have been a great source of inspiration. One of them, not a former colleague, who has been a great source of inspiration is sitting right in front of me — Chief Justice Akil Kureshi, former chief justice of the Rajasthan high court,” justice Muralidhar said.
Over the years, the postings and transfers of justices Muralidhar and Kureshi have ruffled some feathers. Justice Kureshi, who retired from Rajasthan high court last year, was overlooked for Supreme Court judgeship like justice Muralidhar.
Justice Subhasis Talapatra, who will succeed justice Muralidhar, will be sworn in as the new chief justice on Tuesday.
{{/usCountry}}Justice Subhasis Talapatra, who will succeed justice Muralidhar, will be sworn in as the new chief justice on Tuesday.
{{/usCountry}}“In 17 years as a judge, I have several colleagues. I must say, these colleagues in the Orissa high court have become very dear to me. I salute and thank each of them. I consider myself most fortunate to have been sent to this wonderful state of Odisha as its chief justice…,” he said during the farewell event, which saw participation of his fellow brother and sister judges of the high court as well as members of the Bar.
During his tenure as the chief justice of Orissa high court starting January 4, 2021, justice Muralidhar took several measures including introduction of paperless courts in Odisha. Some of the other initiatives during his tenure included setting up of e-filing web portal, 20 virtual courts at different places in the state, live-streaming of proceedings on high court’s official YouTube channel, among others.
Justice Muralidhar started his law practice in 1984 in Chennai before shifting base to Delhi in 1987. He was appointed a judge of Delhi high court in May 2006 where he served until February 27, 2020, when the Union government in a late-night order notified his transfer to Punjab & Haryana high court.
Just hours before the government issued orders for his transfer, Justice Muralidhar had held a midnight hearing at his residence to order the Delhi Police to rescue 22 people stuck in a hospital in north-east Delhi during communal riots.
On February 26, 2020, justice Muralidhar had led the bench that took the Delhi Police to task for not registering FIRs against BJP politicians and others for hate speeches recorded on tape.
At the Delhi high court, justice Muralidhar had passed crucial judgments in sensitive matters. He was part of the bench which had, in 2009, decriminalized homosexuality by striking down section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. This judgment was later overruled by the Supreme Court in 2013 before the top court eventually struck down the provision in September 2018 in another case.