Justice G.R. Swaminathan of the Madras High Court has released a self-assessment “performance report” summarizing his work as a judge over the last seven years on the Bench.
Justice Swaminathan, who completed seven years as a judge on June 27, emphasized that all public office holders, including judges, should be evaluated based on their performance.
In his report, he claimed to have disposed of 64,798 cases to date. Of these, 820 cases were “cleared” at the principal seat of the Madras High Court in Chennai, while the remaining 63,910 cases were heard and disposed of by him at the Madurai Bench, where he has primarily worked.
The judge noted that if miscellaneous cases were included, his total disposals would amount to 103,685. However, he argued that only the disposal of main cases should be considered significant, as including miscellaneous disposals could mislead the public.
“If, like Justice Chandru (retired Justice K. Chandru of the Madras High Court, who disposed of 95,607 cases during his tenure), I include my miscellaneous disposals, the total would be 103,685 cases. I believe only the disposal of main cases should matter. Flaunting the figure of miscellaneous disposals gives a misleading picture to the general public,” Justice Swaminathan said.
Looking ahead, he expressed his intention to pass orders and dispose of as many cases as possible during his remaining six years on the Bench. He urged the Bar to assist in this goal by providing adequate support and ensuring accuracy in pleadings and arguments.
“If a lawyer loses the trust of the Judge, his career may be in peril. Judges also talk among themselves. If a lawyer cheats me in court, I am bound to lament or complain to some Judge who is close to me. He will in turn convey it to his friends during casual conversations. Forget this career interest. It is your responsibility to ensure that I don’t give a wrong judgment. You must take care that I do not err on facts or law. These days court proceedings are live-streamed. Due to digital reporting, every order is on record. If I goof up, I become a laughing stock. I am sure you don’t want me to face ridicule. I therefore request you to bear this in mind and conduct yourselves accordingly. Almost all of you will not do it deliberately but I want you to take extreme care,” Justice Swaminathan said.
He also addressed the issue of media and social media sometimes inflating his oral comments during hearings, urging lawyers to set the record straight since he cannot publicly defend his statements.
“Judges cannot retaliate. They cannot jump into the public arena and hit back. They have to stomach several things. Media cannot put words into my mouth. Maybe the bar members can set the record straight in such cases. They can write letters to the editor or the YouTuber or the blogger concerned. Very occasionally, they can pass resolutions,” Justice Swaminathan said.
Lastly, he resolved to remain calmer and not lose his temper while in court.
