Heared 3810 cases and left a deep mark in the judiciary, took sensitive decisions for the poor and the disabled
Bhopal. Madhya Pradesh High Court’s first Dalit Chief Justice Suresh Kumar Kait is retiring on 24 May. On Tuesday, when a farewell ceremony was organized in his honor in the High Court premises, Justice Kait became emotional remembering his life’s struggles. He said that being the son of a laborer father, he himself completed his studies till matriculation by working as a laborer.
“I never thought that I would become a judge,” — saying this in the ceremony, he said in an emotional voice that the conditions in which he studied did not even have rooms for the school. “Classes were held under the trees,” he said. Tribute paid to the architect of the Constitution
Justice Kait recalled the important moments of his career when he first became a judge of the Delhi High Court in 2008, on the same day Badar Durrez Ahmed, son of former President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, was also sworn in. On that historic day, everyone paid tribute to Dr Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar — who drafted the Constitution to provide equal opportunities to the working class and underprivileged community of India.
Sharing his experience as Chief Justice, he said that the Madhya Pradesh High Court has a sanctioned strength of 53 judges, but at present only 33 judges are working. This not only slows down the process of justice, but also puts a lot of work pressure on the judges. “I have heard 3810 cases since September 27,”
Helping poor students become civil judges
During his tenure, Kait abolished the requirement of 70% marks in the recruitment of civil judges. He said, “Most of the poor students studying in government universities are not able to score 70% marks, while students of private universities do. Due to this rule, poor students were out of the civil judge examination.” Initiative to destroy the waste of Bhopal gas tragedy Chief Justice Kait also monitored the process of destroying the dangerous chemical waste of Bhopal gas tragedy. He took the initiative to destroy the waste of Union Carbide, although many petitions were filed against it, but Kait took forward the process of burning the waste with scientific process and government permission. He was sensitive towards the disabled and the victims Kait set an example of sensitivity in the judiciary. In a case, when he saw a disabled person wandering in the court with applications again and again, he ordered his transfer without hearing. The matter of permission for air travel for disabled children also came before him, which he resolved immediately. Ban on construction of temples in police stations
During the hearing of a PIL, he questioned the government as to why temples are being built inside police stations and with whose permission. Giving a clear order, he said that permission should not be given to build temples in new police stations. His decision strengthens the constitutional spirit of secularism.
Journey of Chief Justice Kait
Chief Justice Suresh Kumar Kait was born in a laborer family in Haryana. After his early education, he obtained an LLB degree from the Central University of Delhi. In the field of advocacy, he practiced in Delhi and during this time he was also a junior to former President Ram Nath Kovind. His judicial service started in the year 2008, when he was appointed a judge of the Delhi High Court. After this, in the year 2023, he was made the Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court. After his contribution to the judiciary, he will retire on 24 May 2025.
Courtesy: Ankit Pachauri, Hindi News