A Subramani, TNN Jul 13, 2013, 03.31AM IST
CHENNAI: It was a tear-laced farewell for Justice Elipe Dharma Rao, who is to retire on July 14, marking the end of an eventful and hectic 14-year tenure as judge of two high courts.
From a barefooted student doubling up as an agricultural worker in an Andhra Pradeshvillage, he came a long way to retire as the senior-most dalit judge in the country. "I hail from a village without even bare minimum facilities. I had to walk barefoot to reach school and return home. During 'leisure time' I worked as an agricultural labourer. It has taught me the true sense and meaning of life," he said, responding to encomiums heaped on him by Tamil Nadu advocate general A L Somayaji.
Turning nostalgic, Justice Dharma Rao apologized to his family members "for not sparing any time for them." He paid glowing tributes to his wife Padma Pushpanjali and said: "I will be failing in my duty if I do not mention the sacrifices made by my better half in taking the entire family burdens on her shoulders. She never ventured to disturb me with family issues, however serious they may be, when I am engaged in my duties as judge. She has managed all the family affairs single-handedly at the cost of her health to make my long stint as a judge happy and contented. So far, I have done little to reciprocate. But, hereafter I shall try to make amends to her during the rest of my life."
As for his children, he said from their childhood onwards "they understood that my shoulders are not free for them to play, but already burdened with the godly affair of rendering justice. They never distorted my attention. I missed them a lot, and it is time to say my sincere apologies to them."
Earlier, Somayaji said Justice Dharma Rao had been endowed with a supreme knack of getting at the core issue in any litigation even if papers ran into several volumes. He has asplendid memory of case law and junior members of the Bar were always treated with courtesy and generosity by the judge, he said.
During his tenure here, several sensational judgments including the one relating to elephant corridor and ban on tourist homes/resorts inside the tiger reserve in the Nilgiris, were delivered by him. If north Chennai is dust-free, it has to thank Justice Dharma Rao, as he had barred the Chennai port from handling dusty cargo such as coal and iron ore. Through his verdicts he ordered cast-based census, and called upon cops not to cross the 'Lakshman Rekha' and indulge in extra-judicial killings.
Dharma Rao was born on July 15, 1951 at Karpa village in Ainavali Mandal in East Godavadi district of Andhra Pradesh. He obtained his BL degree in 1978, and was made an additional judge of the Andhra Pradesh high court on May 17, 1999. He was transferred to the Madras high court in January 2006. He was acting chief justice of the Madras high court twice - from April 29, 2010 to June 10, 2010, and from December 22, 2012 to February 6, 2013. With his retirement, the number of judges in the court has gone down to 43, as against the sanctioned strength of 60.
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