Don’t Seek God In Judges, We’re Humble Public Servants : Justice MM Sundresh

“Please do not search God in us, please search god in justice”, informed Supreme Court docket judge-Justice MM Sundresh to a counsel in the present day, who assailed as ‘contemptuous’ a shopper’s discover stating that judges get “mounted” by legal professionals.

A bench of Justices MM Sundresh and Okay Vinod Chandran was listening to an advocate’s plea for discharge from a case, on the premise that the shopper was not heeding to his recommendation and making aspersions of fixation towards judges.

The Advocate-on-Document who appeared for this advocate submitted that the difficulty was a severe one, affecting all the lawyer group. “We see God in our judges”, she expressed.

“Once we took oath as legal professionals 40 years in the past, we took […] the judicial system and the rule of legislation. Now we have Supreme Court docket Guidelines. There’s a discover given by his shopper (shopper of the lawyer in search of discharge) that the judges are getting mounted by way of legal professionals, which may be very contemptuous. We’re the AoRs. We withdraw from the circumstances if we discover that there’s some dishonesty happening”, the AoR additional added.

Asking the AoR to not get emotionally swayed, Justice Sundresh remarked that judges are “humble public servants” and never bothered by such remarks. As an alternative of judges, folks ought to see God in justice, the choose stated.

Ultimately, the bench allowed the advocate in search of discharge to be discharged from the case.

It might be recalled that in 2024, ex-Chief Justice of India Dr DY Chandrachud additionally expressed related sentiment and emphasised on the hazards of equating judges with Gods. Talking on the inaugural session of a convention in Kolkata, Justice Chandrachud pressured that the function of judges is to serve public curiosity, to not be revered as deities. “Too fairly often, we’re addressed as Honour or as Lordship or as Ladyship. There’s a very grave hazard when folks say that the court docket is a temple of justice. There’s a grave hazard that we understand ourselves because the deities in these temples”, remarked the previous CJI.

In 2023, being attentive to a litigant showing with ‘folded arms and tears in her eyes’ to plead her case in particular person, a Kerala Excessive Court docket choose additionally emphasized that judges shouldn’t be handled like Gods. “Often the court docket of legislation is called ‘temple of justice’. However there isn’t any god sitting within the bench. The judges are doing their constitutional duties and obligations”, stated Justice PV Kunhikrishnan.

Case Title: GOVIND RAM PANDEY AND ANR. Versus NUTAN PRAKASH AND ORS., SLP(C) No. 12579-12580/2025