This is not a farewell, rather it is till we meet again: Justice Siddharth Mridul

Justice Siddharth Mridul spent 15yrs 7mos as a Delhi HC judge, delivering 2,206 judgments. He prioritised the welfare of the most disadvantaged & passed several landmark judgments, incl. streamlining juvenile justice & remarking UAPA's 'terrorist act' definition was "wide & vague".

After spending 15 years 7 months as a judge of the Delhi High Court and having delivered 2,206 judgments through the years, Justice Siddharth Mridul is headed for Manipur High Court as its Chief Justice.

Appointed as an additional judge of the high court in March 2008 and later elevated as a permanent judge in May 2009, Justice Mridul has delivered several landmark judgments.

During the farewell function, Justice Mridul said he prioritised the welfare of the most disadvantaged in society, both socially and economically. “In other words Antyodaya (The upliftment of the weakest section of the society),” Justice Mridul said.

“This is not a farewell, rather it is till we meet again,” Justice Mridul said.

Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma said, “Manipur will greatly benefit from your presence... Our (Delhi’s) loss is Manipur’s gain”.

Notable decisions made by Justice Mridul include a December 2021 direction when a bench headed by him streamlined the functioning of the juvenile justice delivery system. The bench then passed a series to directions including a quarterly review of the progress of the Individual Care Plan (ICP) and Rehabilitation Card of children in conflict with law by the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB).

In another landmark judgment in June 2021, a bench headed by Justice Mridul remarked that the definition of ‘terrorist act’ in Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) was “wide and even somewhat vague”.