Reporter's Diary: The day a HC judge took a Metro ride

CHENNAI: It was prominent news when Justice K Chandru surrendered his official vehicle on his day of superannuation in 2013. He took an EMU train to reach his house. Such an incident happened again recently. This time it was a sitting judge of the Madras High Court who took the Metro. On September 16, when an Innova car bearing the national flag stopped suddenly at HC Metro station near Esplanade police station, the roadside vendors were terrified that the GCC had come to clear them. However, it was Justice Krishnan Ramasamy who came out of the car and hastened towards the Metro station.

Seeing this, lawyers and law students offered him a respectful salute. Judges mingling with people outside the court is rare indeed, which is why Justice Ramasamy’s humility stunned Metro passengers going from Wimco Nagar going towards the airport.

While the man wearing a full coat-suit sitting with a PSO and an assistant piqued their curiosity and began a few murmurs in the coach, a law college student clarified that it was a sitting judge. This drew applause, as almost everyone appreciated a judge taking public transit to reach his destination.

“If public representatives and government servants periodically take the Metro, it could save the money spent on fuel for government vehicles and precious time of our authorities,” a lawyer whispered to his friend who stood some 20 metres away from the judge.