SC bids farewell to Justice Rao, who played Ranji and acted in films

A Supreme Court judge Justice L Nageswara Rao was on Friday given a warm farewell by Chief Justice of India N V Ramana, praising him for several landmark judgements, and lawyers revealed his tryst with Cricket and Cinema as he played Ranji trophy for Andhra Pradesh and acted briefly in a few films.

Justice Rao, who was elevated directly from the Bar to the top court, said, "I love being active and sport has taught me a lot of things in life”.

He said that he was into the theatre during his youth and one of his cousins was a director.

Attorney General K K Venugopal, for his part, called Justice Rao “a powerful judge”.

Justice Rao, who twice served as an Additional Solicitor General of India, is formally set to retire on June 7 but a farewell was organised on the last working day as the Supreme Court is going on summer vacation.

"As a Judge, brother Rao played a vital role in expounding the law and interpreting the constitution in several noteworthy opinions," the CJI said, in his speech at a function organised by SC Bar Association.

He pointed out Justice Rao was the force behind ensuring that the tribunal structure in India is upheld through his judgement in Madras Bar Association Vs Union of India.

He said recently authored the judgement in the Jacob Puliyel case, where he held that no individual can be forced to be vaccinated. He also wrote the judgement ordering for release of Rajiv Gandhi case convict A G Perarivalan.

He was part of a seven-judge bench in Krishna Kumar Singh v State of Bihar that held that re-promulgation of ordinances is unconstitutional.

It was senior advocate Pradeep Rai, vice president of SCBA, who revealed,

"Justice Rao has acted in films as a police inspector. He had acted in a movie called "Kanoon Apna Apna" with Kader Khan and Sanjay Dutt."