The judge who said ‘objection’

The article which began with the blurbs,“Who are the judges afraid of; what are the judges afraid of” paved the way to a decision by the judges of the Supreme Court on Wednesday to disclose their assets on the website of the court.

Setting an example himself,soon after the publication of his article,Justice Shylendra Kumar declared his assets on a secure personal website on Wednesday after the Karnataka High Court asked for a consensus among its judges to declare their assets.

The son of a former member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from Hosur constituency,just outside Bangalore,Justice Shylendra Kumar was elevated to the judiciary after being a successful member of the bar.

Enrolled as an advocate in 1976,he originally practiced in the Madras High Court before shifting to the Karnataka High Court.

Reporters who interacted with him when he was a central government standing counsel in the Karnataka High Court in the late 1990s recall him to be a cordial,matter-of-fact lawyer who never courted the media for publicity.

He was appointed an additional judge of the Karnataka High Court in December 2000 and became permanent in April 2002.

Always known to be of a strict demeanor,Kumar has come to be known in the bar as a judge with integrity,outspoken but open-hearted.

One of the most talked-about judgments that Justice Shylendra Kumar has pronounced in recent times has been in connection with mining in forests around Karnataka.

The judge personally visited the sites before directing the Government of Karnataka to stop all mining in forests as stated in law. A division bench of the High Court later overturned the single judge order.

“He is an upright man,a man of integrity,” says Advocate General of Karnataka Ashok Harnahalli of the judge. Harnahalli and Kumar were former colleagues in the bar and as central government standing counsels.

“What we hear from advocates who have appeared before him is that he always speaks his mind but is also open-hearted about listening to them,” says the secretary of the Karnataka State Bar Council K Satyamoorthi Holla.

A veteran court officer who wished to be anonymous said Justice Shylendra Kumar prides himself on being “incorruptible” and is a stickler for similar values from those who work for him. “He is among few people who do not own a housing site in a controversy-ridden judicial layout scheme,” he said.