“I Am Not Retiring, I Am Just Demitting The Office”: Justice Ajay Rastogi On His Last Day As SC Judge

Justice Ajay Rastogi stated on his last day as a Supreme Court judge that he was not retiring, but rather demitting the office.

“I am not retiring; I am simply demitting the office. I have carried out my responsibilities to the best of my ability…I’ve had a good time…Thank you so much for your warm words. I’m not sure if I deserve it or not,” Justice Rastogi stated as he sat on a ceremonial bench with Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha.

DY Chandrachud, the Chief Justice of India, described Justice Rastogi as a personification of judicial compassion and sensitivity.

When Justice Rastogi first became a lawyer in 1982, he was granted a brief the very following day, which he won.

The Chief Justice further added that Justice Rastogi was inspired by his father, Harishchandra Rastogi, a lawyer who practised before the Rajasthan High Court.

“We shared so many special moments. In the Collegium, he was a pillar of strength and support. We approved the new judges’ names in just one afternoon sitting, and the names were cleared in three days,” he continued.

Attorney General R Venkataramani paid tribute to the retiring judge, saying, “The searching questions and the serious demeanor, immediately followed by a disarming smile…all of this was in Justice Rastogi, and we have been honoured that he was a part of this institution. His assistance in the Amrapali case set the path for a commendable journey. You will be an architect of peace and comfort in the hearts of a large number of homebuyers.”

SG Tushar Mehta stated, “We were all at ease before your lordship. The smile on your face and the habit of my lord to read everything caught some off-guard. But that never stopped clients from seeking justice.”

Justice Rastogi was born on June 18, 1958, and joined the Bar in 1982. In 1999-2000, he served as President of the Rajasthan High Court Bar Association in Jaipur. He was appointed as the Rajasthan High Court as a judge in 2013 and briefly served as its Acting Chief Justice in 2016. In 2018, he was transferred as the Chief Justice of the Tripura High Court before being elevated to the Supreme Court on November 2, 2018.