‘Not Doing Charity By Granting Relief’: Delhi HC Judge Justice Mukta Gupta On Her Farewell Ceremony

During her farewell ceremony held on Friday, Justice Mukta Gupta of the Delhi High Court expressed that judges do not engage in acts of charity when granting relief to parties.

She emphasized that judging, in her view, is not akin to fulfilling a divine duty. Rather, her sole endeavor has always been to ensure that justice prevails in the end.

“Over the past 14 years, when I have been the judge of this Court, I have dedicated my life to the cause of justice. To err is human and I am sure I also made mistakes along the way. But I did my best to ensure that whatever may have been the outcome of my decision, the eventual victory was that of justice,” she stated.

Reflecting on her journey, the judge reminisced about how her entry into the field of law came about due to incorrect markings in her medical entrance exams. Despite securing the top rank in the Delhi Higher Judicial Services Exams, she made the decision to pursue her legal practice instead. At that time, the Lieutenant Governor inquired if she was interested in becoming an Additional Standing Counsel (Criminal) for the Delhi government.

Recalling her experiences as a government counsel, she shared the following insights:

“As a standing counsel, I tried that everybody should be doing all kinds of matters. But every briefing which was more than 20 volumes landed back in my lap at the eleventh hour. However, I never said that I cannot do it. Accepting every challenge resulted in decisions in some of the most challenging matters that have been referred to today.”

Addressing the audience, she revealed that when she initially presided as a High Court judge in IP matters, there were doubts about her competence to handle such cases. “Due to the confidence I had in my ability, I soon not only authored a number of judgments in IPR, but I also co-authored India’s first and only appellate post-trial judgment in patent law with Justice Nandrajog. I also became the first woman judge in India to be recognised amongst the top 50 in the world of the IP matters in the year 2020.”

In a message directed towards the younger members of the Bar, Justice Gupta emphasized that self-belief is crucial for personal growth. She conveyed that without a firm belief in oneself, progress and development would be hindered.

“It is your faith in yourself that gives you the strength to cross every hurdle. No profession is a cakewalk. No one gets everything on a platter. You have to earn your place.” Justice Gupta stated.

Concluding her remarks, she expressed her gratitude to her dedicated staff and both past and present colleagues for their support and cooperation.

“On demitting the office, I can confidently say to God and to myself that after being appointed as a judge, I have performed the duties of my office with the best of my ability, knowledge and judgment, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will and that I have upheld the Constitution and the laws.”

Justice Gupta was appointed as an additional judge of the Delhi High Court on October 23, 2009, and later became a permanent judge on May 29, 2014. Prior to her appointment to the bench, she had an illustrious career as a lawyer, handling numerous criminal cases, including notable ones such as the Parliament and Red Fort shootout cases, the Jessica Lal murder case, and the Nitish Katara murder case.