CJ Varale sees many similarities between Karnataka and Maharashtra culture

The new Chief Justice of the High Court of Karnataka Justice Prasanna B Varale on Monday said that there are many similarities in the culture of Karnataka and Maharashtra.

A former judge of the Bombay High Court, Justice Varale was addressing the advocates in his reply to the traditional welcome by the chairman of Karnataka State Bar Council.

“Kannada Nadageethe, the official state song of Karnataka, mentions this land as garden of peace for all communities, where people following different religions live together in harmony. Bengaluru is one of the dynamic cities in our country. It is widely known as the Silicon Valley because of its contribution towards information technology development and is the second fastest growing major metropolis of India.

There are many similarities in the cultures of Karnataka and Maharashtra. Major portions of the area of both states were under the same empires during the rule of Kadambas, Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas and Marathas,” he said.

The chief justice also called upon the members of the bar to assist the court in the administration of justice. “Judiciary is the last resort to the one who seeks justice. Members of the bar are the officers of the court and assist the court in the administration of justice.

As it is rightly said that the judiciary and bar are the two wheels of the chariot of justice. Without the assistance of the able and competent lawyers it would be difficult for the judges to perform their duties. Bar and bench should always adhere to the fundamental values of the judicial system; procedural fairness, public confidence in the court, efficiency, access to justice and judicial independence.”

Chairman of Karnataka State Bar Council Motakapalli Kashinath said that Justice Prasanna B Varale was born in Nipani in Karnataka and then moved to Aurangabad in Maharashtra.

He said that the Chief Justice’s grandfather Balwant Rao Varale was a close associate of Ambedkar and the family had relocated to Aurangabad at the latter’s insistence. Balwant Rao Varale went on to administer educational institutions such as People’s Education Society. Kashinath said that Justice Varale married Karnataka’s daughter Geetha (daughter of former minister K H Ranganath). “Hence, I welcome the son-in-law again to this state and we are proud to have you as the Chief Justice of the High Court of Karnataka,” he said.