The longest serving judge in Delhi High Court‘s history bid a tearful adieu Wednesday after his elevation to the Supreme Court.
On Tuesday, the law ministry notified Delhi HC Chief Justice Manmohan‘s appointment as an SC judge with effect from the date he assumes charge of office. He is set to take oath Thursday.
Justice Manmohan was appointed as acting CJ of Delhi HC on Nov 9, 2023 and confirmed as Chief Justice on Sept 29, 2024. During his tenure, he broke several records in legal history. Apart from being the sole judge to have had an uninterrupted tenure of 6,142 days in HC, he is only the second person in 37 years to have been appointed as Delhi Chief Justice despite it being his parent HC, a rarity.
Often described as a “quintessential Delhi product”, Justice Manmohan had an eventful tenure, where he identified two issues plaguing the city. Friction between Delhi’s ministers and their department officers, along with a “culture of freebies”, were repeatedly flagged as worrisome by his bench, be it ordering revamp of govt hospitals, stormwater drains, removal of encroachments near Nizamuddin Dargah, mutation of “urban villages”, or tackling stray dogs and the monkey bite menace.
In a case where the absence of the MCD standing committee delayed the supply of textbooks and uniforms for students, Justice Manmohan’s bench authorised the MCD commissioner to sanction Rs 5 crore funds without waiting for clearance. In another PIL, his bench stressed the “mindset” of Delhi’s administrators needs to change, particularly the perception that everything can be provided for free, as it resulted in a lack of funds to improve public facilities.
In a rare outburst over the state of affairs in Delhi’s health department, Justice Manmohan told the city’s health minister and health secretary the court would “send you to jail” for feuding over enactment of a law to regulate clinical establishments. He told them they were “servants of govt” and couldn’t have “large egos”.
Dealing with this year’s unprecedented flooding, Justice Manmohan criticised attempts to politicise efforts to protect Yamuna floodplains by removing encroachments so floodwater can flow to the river. It was HC’s intervention that led to one agency being answerable for everything related to the flow of water and stormwater drains. While dealing with the deaths of UPSC aspirants in a coaching centre’s basement due to waterlogging, he also set up a high-powered committee to overhaul Delhi’s infrastructure, such as outdated drains.
His bench also highlighted the deadly menace posed by stray dogs and monkeys. Striking a balance between animal lovers and the right of children to play in parks or people to walk freely, Justice Manmohan observed “stray dogs and monkeys cannot be allowed to take over the city”, voicing concern over the menace in big hospitals and public parks. He identified “misplaced public sympathy and a notion of love for these animals”, terming it a genuine problem.
During Justice Manmohan’s tenure, the Delhi judiciary saw significant upgrades in virtual and physical infrastructure. Soon, 255 courtrooms at Karkardooma, Rohini and Rouse Avenue will be ready as funds have been sanctioned by govt.
With his appointment, SC will have 33 judges, one less than the sanctioned strength of 34 judges, including the CJI. SC had two vacancies after Justice Hima Kohli and former CJI D Y Chandrachud retired.
Son of former J&K governor Jagmohan, Justice Manmohan was elevated as Delhi HC had only one representation in SC тАФ CJI Sanjiv Khanna.
