A TRIBUTE TO THE MASTER Hon'ble Mr. justice D. Raju

"My Lord the Chief justice ..........I am what I am to-day before you by the Divine Sankalpa and grace of Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. I thank you the learned Advocate General and others for the kind words spoken about me. At this juncture, I recall with happiness the magnanimous gesture of former Chief Justice Mr. M.N. Chandurkar, for having initiated the move to appoint me to this high office in March, 1988. I owe a deep debt of gratitude to My Lord the Hon'ble the Chief Justice (Dr. A.S. Anand) for the faith My Lord had in me, My Lord's fairness and the remarkable' firmness with which he stood by the proposal to appoint me to this exalted office. I think it is the Divine Will and the prompting of My Lord's illustrious Guru that was responsible for the same.

The oath of office just now administered to me, though crisp, is sufficient to enlighten me as to what I should do and shall not do, in the discharge of my duties hereafter. With the leave of my Lord the Chief Justice, I would like to share a recent experience of mine with you all. Immediately, after I submitted the necessary papers to My Lord the Chief Justice, I had an occasion to go to Tiruvannamalai and meet a great Yogi by name Yogi Ramsuratkumar Guru Maharaj. When I and my friend called on him and before we were asked to take our seat, another gentleman who was already sitting there but a stranger so far as I am concerned, took his pen, a piece of paper and started writing something. A few minutes later, he left the paper at the feet of the Yogi and took leave of him saying that he has written something which suddenly struck him then. After we took our seat the sage asked my friend to read the writing on the piece of paper which reads thus,

Immediately the Yogi with great joy and his usual childlike laughter said- Oh! see this man has written that Raju will get his appointment and he will not do anything wrong and leaves the paper at My feet. Turning to me the Yogi said, Raju, this paper is meant for you take this with you. So saying, the piece of paper was handed over to me. I felt not only delighted but elated at the blessings of the great Yogi on the eve of my appointment. Though not as a commendation I may take this as the blessings of a great soul. On this memorable day of my life, I am reminded of the prayer said to have been composed by the Chief Justice Ryam of Wisconsin which in my view excels even a religious prayer: I quote - "O God of all truth, knowledge and judgment, without whom nothing is true, or wise, or just; look down, with mercy upon Thy servants whom Thou sufferest to sit in earthly seats of judgment to administer Thy justice to Thy people. Enlighten their ignorance and inspire them with Thy judgments. Grant them grace, truly and impartially to administer Thy justice and to maintain Thy truth to the glory of Thy name. And of Thy infinite mercy so direct and dispose my heart that I may this day fulfil all my duty in Thy fear and fall into in error of judgment. Give me grace to hear patiently, to consider diligently, to understand rightly, and to decide justly. Grant me due sense of humility, that I may not be misled by my wilfulness, vanity or egotism. Of my self I humbly acknowledge my own unfitness and unworthiness in Thy sight and without Thy gracious guidance I can do nothing right. Have mercy upon me, a poor, weak, frail sinner, groping in the dark; and give me grace so to judge others now, that I may not myself be judged when Thou comest to judge the World with Thy Truth."

With this prayer and with all humility at my command, I state that I am confident that with the able and loving guidance of My Lord the Chief Justice, the well wishes of my esteemed eider brother judges and with the kind and effective co-operation of the members of Bar, I shall have no difficulty in discharging my duties in accordance with the substance and spirit of the oath ordained by the Constitution of India and administered to me by My Lord the Chief Justice."