Justice Arun Mishra Turns Down Invitation to His Own Farewell

Citing the pandemic as a reason, he said ‘my conscience does not permit me to participate in any farewell function.’

Citing the worldwide sufferings on the account of the COVID-19 pandemic, Justice Arun Mishra, slated to retire from the Supreme Court on 2 September, has turned down an invitation to his own farewell.

According to Bar and Bench, in a letter to Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and Confederation of Indian Bar (CIB), dated 30 August, Justice Mishra wrote:

“I have always considered the Bar as the mother of the judiciary, and it would have been a great pleasure to attend the said function. However, taking into consideration the severe situation and sufferings the world over on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, my conscience does not permit me to participate in any farewell function.”

He also added that he will be visiting the Bar to pay his respects once the situation normalises.

BACKGROUND

Justice Mishra is slated to pronounce some very important verdicts before he retires. These include sentencing of Prashant Bhushan in a contempt case.

Previously, reports of the SCBA refusing to give Justice Arun Mishra a farewell had started doing the rounds, but SCBA president Dushyant Dave had denied all such claims