When Law, Life, and Humility Met ..... An Hour with Justice SVN Bhatti: A Lifetime of Inspiration, By Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao

 When Law, Life, and Humility Met

An Hour with Justice SVN Bhatti: 

A Lifetime of Inspiration

By Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao

(December 27, 2025, Hyderabad)

This forenoon gifted me an hour that will remain etched in my heart for a long time. I had the rare privilege of meeting Honorable Justice Sarasa Venkata Narayana (SVN) Bhatti of the Supreme Court of India at his simple apartment in Hyderabad, thanks to Advocate Harkara Srinivasa Rao. What struck me even before the conversation began was his humility, that, it was Justice Bhatti himself who opened the door, welcomed us with warmth, shook our hands, received my books with graciousness, called me ‘Saraswati Putra,’ for the first time by anyone, and agreed to a photograph with an ease that instantly dissolved any sense of formality.

What followed was not merely an interaction, but a flowing, deeply enriching exchange touching law, life, spirituality, character, simplicity, honesty, physical fitness, and above all, the courage to say ‘NO’ when conscience demands it, irrespective of consequences. Justice Bhatti spoke with quiet conviction about beginning every day’s judicial work with a prayer to Lord Eashwara, especially before occupying the Bench or authoring a judgment, with an unwavering belief that nothing should go wrong. Listening to him speak of his journey, one could sense how faith, discipline, and integrity have walked hand in hand throughout his life in law.

Born with a quiet academic rigor, Justice Bhatti pursued his education in Commerce at the historic Besant Theosophical College, Madanapalle, and later in Law at Jagadguru Renukacharya College, Bengaluru, laying a strong intellectual foundation that would eventually mature into a judicial career marked by balance, depth, and constitutional clarity. He shared, with characteristic understatement, that none of the more than 21000 judgments he authored during his tenure in the High Courts ever went in for review, a statistic that speaks volumes, yet was mentioned without the slightest trace of pride.

Justice Bhatti was kind enough to appreciate the work being undertaken by some of us, the like-minded friends through the Center for Brahmin Excellence, clarifying that such an effort instead of a mere nostalgia or exclusion, shall preferably be with a deep understanding of the need to preserve, nurture, and contemporize a community that has quietly slipped into obscurity despite its immense intellectual capital. His gracious consent to meet members of CBE during a future visit to Hyderabad is deeply encouraging.

I had the honor of presenting him my recently released book, Democracy and Governance through Lens and Blurred Glasses, also the six-kanda EMESCO-published Telugu Andhra Valmiki Ramayana retold by me, and the Sajiva Vahini Sanatana Dharma. His acceptance of these works, his words of appreciation, and his assurance that he would read them as time permits were moments of quiet fulfillment for me as a writer.

As we spoke of his long and distinguished journey, from a young advocate beginning practice in Madanapalle, to the High Courts of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala, serving as Acting Chief Justice and then Chief Justice of Kerala, and finally ascending to the Supreme Court of India, what stood out was not the milestones, but the personality behind them.

To be more precise: He enrolled in the Bar Council of Andhra Pradesh on January 21, 1987. He started practicing in the Trial Court at Madanapalle, and from there moved to the High Court of Andhra Pradesh at Hyderabad. He was the Standing Counsel for a few Public Sector Undertakings and Statutory Bodies. He served as a Special Government Pleader in the Office of Advocate General at the High Court from 2000 to 2003. 

Justice SVN Bhatti practiced on the Original and Appellate side in the High Court of Judicature AP, at Hyderabad, before becoming a Judge of the AP High Court on April 12, 2013. He presided as a Judge of the High Court at Hyderabad for the States of AP and Telangana. He had a career in advocacy for 26 years before being elevated as a Judge. 

On the establishment of the High Court of AP at Amaravati, he was transferred to Amaravati, and worked in the High Court till March 18, 2019. He was transferred to the High Court of Kerala at Ernakulam and assumed Office on March 19, 2019. Justice SVN Bhatti was the Acting Chief Justice of the High Court of Kerala from April 24, 2023, till he became the Chief Justice of the High Court of Kerala on June 1, 2023. On July 14, 2023, he was sworn in as a Judge of the Supreme Court of India.

His judgments, many of them far-reaching and socially significant, reflect clarity, balance, and deep constitutional sensitivity, yet he spoke of them with remarkable restraint. I was reminded, in particular, of the landmark 2016 judgment restoring nearly 200 acres of prime land at Puppalaguda to the Telangana government, a decision that protected immense public wealth (An estimated worth of Rs 40000 Crores) and upheld institutional integrity. At that time, I was serving as CPRO to the Chief Minister of Telangana KCR, and the larger public impact of that judgment remains unforgettable.

Seen through the lens of the Supreme Court Observer, Justice Bhatti’s judicial imprint at the apex court further reflects the same balance, depth, and constitutional sobriety that marked his earlier journey. Since his elevation to the Supreme Court of India in July 2023, he has authored numerous judgments and been part of several Constitutionally significant benches, with a notable spread across property, criminal, civil, company, and family law matters.

Supreme Court Observer recorded that Justice SVN Bhatti has authored 65 judgments and has been a part of 91 benches so far. The most judgments authored by him were in property matters (18%), followed by rulings on criminal matters (17%), civil matters (14%), company matters (6%), and family matters (6%). 

His opinions reveal a quiet firmness, reaffirming procedural fairness, individual liberty, and institutional discipline, whether it be reiterating safeguards against arbitrary deletion of electoral rolls, expanding the humane interpretation of maternity benefits beyond contractual technicalities, or striking down judicial overreach in matters such as unlawful bail moratoriums.

Across forums, his judgments consistently demonstrate sensitivity to lived realities while remaining anchored in statutory text and constitutional values. What emerges unmistakably is a jurist who neither seeks headlines nor avoids hard questions, one who allows the law to speak through reasoned restraint rather than rhetoric, reinforcing public faith in the judiciary as a calm, corrective, and conscientious constitutional guard.

When it was time to leave, Justice Bhatti accompanied us right up to the exit, walking with us and seeing us off, despite our repeated requests that he need not do so. That simple act perhaps summed up the essence of the man better than any introduction ever could, a towering jurist, yet profoundly grounded; a man of authority, yet deeply humane.

I met a rare personality today, a real, humble Justice in the truest sense of the word. My heartfelt gratitude once again to Advocate Harkara Srinivasa Rao for making this memorable meeting possible. I look forward, with reverence and hope, to another opportunity to learn from you, Justice Bhatti Sir.