‘CJ asked me to cut ribbon!’, Attender elated over inaugurating court complex in Chikkaballapura
Chikkaballapura (TNM): Jayaraj Timothy was present for the inauguration of the newly constructed three storeyed court building in Chikkaballapura. There was little chance of the attender missing the event having been ever-present at the court in Chikkaballapura over the last twelve years.
But to his surprise, he was asked to cut the ribbon and inaugurate the newly constructed court building in a heartwarming gesture atypical of a judiciary event.
The chief guest of the inauguration was Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Abhay Sreeniwas Oka but he decided to step aside for Jayaraj, the senior most attender in the Chikkaballapura court and asked him to inaugurate the building by cutting the ribbon.
The Chief Justice’s gesture was hailed by advocates and members of the public present at the inauguration ceremony in Chikkaballapura as a step towards bridging the gap between workers in the judiciary. Medical Education Minister and Chikkaballapura MLA K Sudhakar was present and he was left pleasantly surprised by the turn of events.
Jayaraj says he was surprised at being called up to inaugurate the building. ” In front of the Chief Justice I was asked to cut the ribbon!,” Jayaraj told TNM. Jayaraj, who has been working in the Chikkaballapura court for 12 years, said that he was elated to be honoured in this fashion. “I was very happy to cut the ribbon. I am going to retire this year, which is why they asked me to do it,”Jayaraj said.
Jayaraj’s native place is Eelam village near Kolar and has worked at the courts in Kolar, Mulbagal and KGF before working at the Chikkaballapura court in 2007. In the last 12 years, he has been a constant presence in the district court premises under various judges. His work in the court includes calling out names of witnesses and accused persons, a duty he is proud to carry out. He also arranges files in the court.
In November 2019, the South Western Railway (SWR) did a similar gesture when officials called upon the daughter of a labourer to inaugurate an escalator installation project at the Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna station in Bengaluru. The inauguration of the escalator was hampered by the imposition of section 144 due to the verdict in the Babri Masjid case in the Supreme Court but in a move that earned praise, officials continued with the inauguration by asking a 10-year-old daughter of a labourer to cut the ribbon.