Respect women or country will suffer, says Kapadia

Exhorting people to respect women, Chief Justice of India (CJI) S.H. Kapadia Friday said only those countries that have respected women have developed.

Speaking at a farewell function on the eve of his retirement, Justice Kapadia said: "A country that respects ladies will always come up. Only those countries that do not respect their ladies will suffer."

Justice Kapadia said this while crediting his wife, Shahnaz Kapadia, for the success in his career.

"It is my wife who made me what I'm," he said pointing towards his wife in the gathering.

Speaking on how support system worked in the making of a person, Justice Kapadia said if there was a funeral to be attended, his wife would tell him: "Do your work. I'll go and attend the funeral."

Justice Kapadia, who did not take leave for last 21 years, contested the conclusion that he was cruel to his family.

"Cruelty is other way round," he said, adding that it was his wife who would keep telling him to attend his court work and nothing else.

Kapadia said lessons in honesty and integrity were given to him by his father who was an electrician in the Military Engineering Service.

"At times, my father would go to the canteen for electrical repair and he would be offered goodies like cheese or chocolates. But he always declined, saying he was paid for his work," Justice Kapadia said.

Recalling the lessons from his mother who, he said, was "very religious", Justice Kapadia said his mother always taught him "exclusion is not isolation."

Justice Kapadia's 92-year-old father and 88-year-old mother are currently being looked after by his brother. It is a responsibility he wants to share now.

Justice Kapadia said he would shift to his house in Mumbai.

"We want to be with our children who have sacrificed for us."

Asking judges and lawyers at the function that they should be more involved in compassionate activities, Justice Kapadia said it was "obstruction" rather than the "help", "difficulties" than the "facilities" that made a man.

"I have done my duty and no more", Justice Kapadia said.

To this, Attorney General G. Vahanvati said: "He will cease to be a judge, but he will not retire."