# Judges are not gods, won’t get every judgment right: Justice Karol 2026-08-22T15:18:41+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 4 independent outlets Retiring Supreme Court judge Justice Sanjay Karol said in his farewell address that judges are not gods and will not get every judgment right, stressing the need for humility and the importance of seeing the person behind every litigant. The ceremonial bench, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, paid tribute to Justice Karol on his last working day, with lawyers remembering him as a 'saintly judge' who encouraged young advocates. Chief Justice Surya Kant praised Justice Karol for his patience, courtesy, and willingness to listen, noting that his judgments gave legal visibility to overlooked realities, such as recognising homemakers as 'nation builders' and directing compensation for loss of domestic care. Justice Karol reflected on his nearly four-decade legal career, saying the courtroom was a vehicle for something greater than himself, and emphasised that the true meaning of constitutionalism lies in 'dharma' as duty. Justice Karol urged lawyers to 'live the Constitution, don't cite it' and said the Supreme Court's importance lies in giving ordinary citizens the belief that someone will listen. He also acknowledged those who cannot access justice because it is too distant or expensive. The judge concluded with gratitude for having served the Constitution and the people. ## Indian Opinion Analysis All four sources provide near-identical straight reportage of Justice Karol's farewell, quoting the same key lines about judges not being gods, humility, and seeing the person behind the litigant. The coverage is uniformly respectful, with no criticism or framing differences. Rediff.com and LiveLaw focus on his 'not gods' remark, while Hindustan Times and Barandbench emphasise his encouragement of young lawyers and the CJI's tribute. The measured takeaway is a rare moment of institutional consensus: the judiciary's own narrative of fallibility and humanity is reported without contest. What to watch: whether this self-reflection influences judicial appointments or public trust metrics. ## Coverage Coverage: 4 sources, 4 neutral - rediff.com (neutral report) Straight news report of farewell speech, quotes judge verbatim, no editorialising. - hindustantimes.com (neutral report) Focuses on CJI's tribute and judge's qualities, factual recount of farewell event. - livelaw.in (neutral report) Quotes farewell speech at length, wire-style report, no added opinion. - barandbench.com (neutral report) Personal essay style but reports facts of farewell and CJI's remarks, no critical stance. This story was synthesised by AI from the 4 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 4 sources. Last updated 2026-08-22T15:26:32+00:00. Tags: Himachal Pradesh High Court, Sanjay Karol, Supreme Court, Surya Kant, Tushar Mehta Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/outgoing-sc-judge-says-judges-are-not-gods-will-not-always-be-right/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/outgoing-sc-judge-says-judges-are-not-gods-will-not-always-be-right/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/