‘I am going to miss my Hindustan’: SC judge Sudhanshu Dhulia bids emotional goodbye

Outgoing Supreme Court judge, Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia, on Friday said he grew accustomed to hearing cases and lawyers from across the country and said, "I am going to miss my Hindustan."

Justice Dhulia, due to retire on August 9, received a warm and emotional farewell during the proceedings held before the ceremonial bench, which also comprised Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justices K Vinod Chandran and NV Anjaria.

Recalling an anecdote from this morning, Justice Dhulia said, “We were having breakfast, my wife asked me 'what is it you are going to miss the most as now you're demitting the office?' I told her immediately, what I am going to miss the most is that I am going to miss my Hindustan."

The judge continued, “She didn't understand what I meant. She probably thought, I am already losing my marbles. So what Hindustan? And it was difficult for anybody to understand Hindustan, I mean, Hindustan is you (lawyers)...It is perhaps the only court where cases come from, all over the country…Lawyers come here from all parts of the country. And this is what I am going to miss the most, that I will not have this Hindustan before me every morning."

Lauding Justice Dhulia, who has served as a top court judge since May 2022, the CJI said, “Justice Dhulia served in some of the remotest and most beautiful parts of the country. He brought with him a legacy of freedom fighters and jurists. His judgments reflect quiet conviction, not superficial reasoning. He has always been a source of wisdom for his colleagues."

The CJI further touched upon their personal rapport, recounting how Justice Dhulia would gift him books.

“He is an avid reader, a keen golfer, and a lover of theatre. We are grateful for your contribution and look forward to spending more time together in Delhi,” the CJI added.

Justice Dhulia recalled a cinematic analogy to explain the depth of perception the court offered him.

He referred to a book titled ‘Of Human Bondage’ by Somerset Maugham.

“What happens in that book is that the hero of the book, Philip, is sent to Paris to learn painting by his uncle, Ruth. And when he comes back to his village, his uncle asks him, what have you learned in these five years? Then he says, I learned to look at a tree. And his uncle says, what's so great about looking at a tree, even I can look at a tree and then Philip says, uncle, but I can look at a tree against the background of the sky. It was what I saw here with your arguments and you inside something which I had not visualised before,” he said.

For Justice Dhulia listening to arguments in court was the best experience.

“But, I will always remember you and your arguments in court, and I wish you also remember me sometimes,” he said.

Attorney General R Venkataramani lauded the judge and said, “Justice Dhulia always gave us our day in court. He saw the human element in every case, and that is something we will always remember."

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta praised the judge for his impartiality and intellectual pursuits.

“He never had pre-decided notions and had a deep interest in literature and Urdu ghazal. Yet, he never let personal preferences interfere with his judicial function,” Mehta said.

Other bar members echoed sentiments expressed by the senior lawyers.

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati said, “You do not look a day older since I appeared before you in the Uttarakhand High Court.”

Born on August 10, 1960, Justice Dhulia comes from a family deeply rooted in public service. His father served as a judge of the Allahabad High Court, his mother was an academic, and his grandfather was a noted freedom fighter.

He completed his schooling in Dehradun, Allahabad and Lucknow, graduated in 1981, and completed his LLB in 1986, following a Master's degree in Modern History.

He started his legal practice in the Allahabad High Court, later moving to the Uttarakhand High Court upon its creation in 2000, where he rose to the position of senior advocate and was eventually elevated to the bench in 2008.