In a nation that boasts of a robust Constitution, a free judiciary, and the rule of law, what happens when the guardians of that law become complicit in its corrosion? The quiet, disgraceful farewell to Justice Bela M. Trivedi is not just a breach of decorum — it is a symptom of rot within India’s highest legal circles.
On April 24, 2025, Justice Trivedi, one of the Supreme Court’s most upright, no-nonsense judges, retired without the traditional farewell by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA). This wasn’t an oversight. It was a snub — calculated, telling, and deeply political.
Why was she ignored? Because she didn’t play by the rules of the entrenched “ecosystem” — a self-serving nexus of ideologically motivated lawyers, activists, and influence-peddlers masquerading as champions of justice.
Let’s examine her real “crime”: she upheld the law. Unflinchingly.
- CBI Probe Against Fake Litigants
In 2024, a group of lawyers and Advocates-on-Record filed a petition in the Supreme Court on behalf of an individual, without his knowledge. When the man disowned the case, Justice Trivedi wasted no time in ordering a CBI investigation. This simple act of judicial integrity rattled a lobby that survives on fabricated petitions, bench-shopping, and exploiting loopholes. - Backing EWS Reservation
In her support for the 10% reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), Justice Trivedi sided with millions of poor general-category youth, who had long been denied affirmative support. Her judgment dismantled the ideological monopoly of those who treat “equality” as a slogan, not a principle, turning savage the very voices who usually cry hoarse over inclusivity. - Denying Bail to the Ecosystem’s Darlings
She refused to bow to media pressure or political lobbying.
- Umar Khalid, charged under UAPA in the Delhi riots conspiracy case, was denied bail — rightly so, given the serious charges.
- Satyendar Jain, the AAP leader accused in a money laundering case, was kept in custody despite orchestrated campaigns in his defense.
- DK Shivakumar, the Karnataka Deputy CM, faced a CBI probe into disproportionate assets with her judicial nod, undeterred by his political clout.
Every decision she took was rooted in legal merit. Yet, none of that mattered to the SCBA — now helmed by Kapil Sibal, a Congress veteran with more interest in political optics than judicial standards.
If this is how we treat our cleanest judges, what does that say about us? About our bar associations? About the legal elite who claim to protect justice but only when it aligns with their ideological fiefdom?
Let’s call it what it is: judicial hypocrisy. The same people who erupt in outrage over perceived threats to judicial independence had no problem erasing a judge who refused to be a puppet.
They don’t want fearless judges. They want convenient judges. Who parrots their politics. Who bend just enough to keep the illusion of justice alive while serving partisan ends.
But Justice Bela Trivedi didn’t bend. She stood tall. And while the SCBA might erase her name from its farewell list, it cannot erase her impact from the annals of Indian jurisprudence.
India is changing. The legal “ecosystem” is being exposed — one judgment at a time. And history will remember those who stayed true to their oath, even when the system turned its back.
Justice Bela Trivedi didn’t need a farewell. Her integrity was her tribute. Her silence was her verdict on a system that fears truth more than it fears tyranny.
