Chief Justice of India TS Thakur falls ill, may return today

NEW DELHI: Chief Justice of India TS Thakur was rushed to the hospital on Wednesday night after he suddenly collapsed, hours after he delivered the JS Verma memorial lecture in the capital. He has since recovered after a day’s rest advised by doctors and is expected to resume open court hearings on Friday. His bench did not sit at all on Thursday, prompting speculation over his sudden absence.

According to a source, doctors at a major private hospital attributed his illness to stress and over-work.

“He was overworked, exhausted and was kept under observation overnight before he was discharged,” the source said on condition of anonymity. There was no immediate cause of concern and he was stable, the source said.

The soft-spoken CJI, who heads one of the most-powerful judiciaries in the world. A judge has to read on an average 70-80 files that goes well into the night. In the CJI’s case, he also has to deal with several court-related administrative work and major intractable cases.

The CJI’s court is always last to get up either for lunch or at close of day, given his proclivity to hear out lawyers out patiently. Holidays and weekend breaks are spent inaugurating judicial academies, attending seminars across the country and making trips to high courts to get a first-hand experience of problems they face.