“Those In Power Today Will Not Be There Tomorrow”: Justice Atul Sreedharan Quotes Poet Rahat Indori, Bids Farewell To MP High Court

Speaking at his farewell ceremony at the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Justice Atul Sreedharan while quoting poet Rahat Indori said, that transfers are an incident of service and the only thing permanent in the universe is impermanence.

On October 19, the Centre had notified Justice Sreedharan's transfer to Allahabad High Court. On October 14, the Supreme Court Collegium had modified its earlier proposal to transfer Justice Sreedharan to Chhattisgarh High Court after the Union Government sought the reconsideration of the proposal.

Speaking at the farewell ceremony Justice Sreedharan said:

"I have no doubt in my mind when I say that the bar is the most powerful sentinel for the bench and I hope and pray that the relationship between the two in my parent High Court touches the heights of cordiality and singularity of purpose as that would be the greatest guarantee of the preservation of constitutional values in our society. Transfers are merely an incident of service and I am excited now to get an opportunity to serve the largest High Court in the country with great traditions of learning and astute advocacy".

"The only thing permanent in the universe is impermanence and I would like to look at transfers in the words of Rahat Indori the pride of Indore who said, 'jo aaj saahib e masanad hain kal nahin honge; kirayedar hain zaati makaan thodee hai (Those who are in power today will not be there tomorrow; They are tenants, its not their personal property)'," the judge added.

In his address, Justice Sreedharan expressed deep appreciation for the respect and affection shown to him. "It's been a short second stint for me here and I search for words to best express my sentiments for the extremely kind words each one of you had to say for me", he said.

He further stated, "Undoubtedly it is the profound goodwill that you have for me which shall forever be my greatest strength and wealth".

Having returned to his parent High Court earlier this year, Justice Sreedharan remarked that resuming work at Jabalpur made him feel as though he had never left home.

Reflecting to his stint at the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh the judge said,

"My days in Jammu and Kashmir were magical. Sometimes I feel I was never there and it was all a beautiful dream. A parallel universe whose edges I skimmed on my astral journey across the cosmos".

He extended his special gratitude to Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, describing him as a people's judge who is learned yet humble, polite yet firm, accommodating yet resolute.

The judge also thanked his fellow high court judges for making his stay memorable.

Thanking the bar and enumerating on its role the judge said, "Last but not the least my gratitude for the deepest recess of my heart to the bar which tolerated my second innings with such grace and compassion towards me. I am what I am as a judge because of my two gurus Mr. Gopal Subramaniam and Mr. Satyendra Kumar Vyas and all of you fine ladies and gentlemen of the bar who gave me the space to expand in girth and worth if I may say so in a lighter vein and who have tolerated my idiosyncrasies and my momentary lapse of balance on the bench".

The farewell function was attended by Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, Judges of the High Court, Additional Solicitor General of India Sunil Jain, Additional Advocate General Jhanvi Pandit, Chairman State Bar Council Radhelal Gupta, Senior Vice President High Court Bar Association Amit Jain, President High Court Bar Association of Indore Ritesh Inani, President High Court Bar Association of Gwalior Pawan Pathak and President High Court Advocates Bar Association of Jabalpur Sanjay Agarwal.

Justice Atul Sreedharan was elevated as a judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court in 2016. In 2023, Justice Sreedharan was transferred from the Madhya Pradesh High Court to the J&K&L High Court as per his request, since his daughter had commenced practice of law in MP. In March this year, he was repatriated to Madhya Pradesh High Court.

It was Justice Sreedharan's bench which had suo motu ordered an FIR against Madhya Pradesh's Cabinet Minister Vijay Shah for his comments on Col. Sofiya Qureshi.

Last month the bench led by Justice Sreedharan took a suo moto cognizance of a video uploaded by YouTube News channels showing a young man from the OBC Community sitting in a temple, being compelled to wash the feet of another person and consume the said water.

In Justice Sreedharan's case, the transfer has impacted his seniority; while in Chhattisgarh, he would have been the second judge in seniority and thus part of the High Court Collegium; in Allahabad High Court he would stand seventh.