In a courtroom filled with memories and measured words, Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma stood at the edge of one chapter and the beginning of another. As he prepares to take the bench at the Calcutta High Court, his farewell from the Delhi High Court wasn’t just ceremonial—it was marked by calm resolve in the face of controversy.
Addressing colleagues and the larger judicial fraternity, Justice Sharma acknowledged the resistance stirred by his transfer—particularly from the Bar bodies of Calcutta. Their public objection to the move, citing unverified allegations, had sparked rare turbulence in an otherwise routine transfer.
But Justice Sharma chose dignity over defensiveness.
“I respect the dissent shown by the Bar Associations of Kolkata,” he said with clarity. “They have their right to express dissent. I carry nothing in my heart—only respect.”
His words, though few, were deliberate. Not a rebuttal. Not a retort. Just a quiet statement of intent: to serve, not spar.
Having spent years rising through the ranks of Delhi’s judicial system—from the grind of trial courts to the deliberations of the High Court—Justice Sharma described the capital’s legal corridors as both his karmabhoomi and his alma mater. His farewell speech was less about defense and more about gratitude. He spoke of the craft of listening deeply, of seeing the humanity behind the case numbers, and of learning that even the smallest matters often carried the weight of a life.
“Justice,” he said, “is not in the order alone—it’s in understanding the silences between the words.”
Reflecting on his time in the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT), he shared how those cases grounded him in the harsh realities of ordinary lives and the quiet dignity of the people who seek justice without fanfare.
He left Delhi not with grand declarations but with steady humility. “I carry Delhi with me—in its discipline, in its values, in its people.”
Though the Supreme Court Collegium recommended his transfer on March 27 and the Centre cleared it on April 1, his move to Calcutta wasn’t welcomed by all. Several bar associations initially resolved to boycott his swearing-in. That decision, however, was rolled back after a nudge from Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam urging unity over protest.
Now, with dissent acknowledged and bridges still standing, Justice Sharma heads to a High Court with a legacy as grand as its architecture—and walks in not to conquer, but to contribute.
