A year ago, Justice Umar Ata Bandial’s arrival at the apex of the apex court was deemed as a refreshing breeze of fresh air after the higher judiciary’s perpetual longing for histrionics. Though advised to not jump the gun over some unsavoury remarks against a close (scrutinising) watch by the media, he still seemed calm, polite and understated enough to serve as a perfect antidote to the rising temperatures. With some calling into question the heavy mantle of not just delivering justice but being seen delivering justice and others reminding him to let the law of the land take precedence over any fervent hopes for what the then-Mr Clean could or could not do, there was a general sense of optimism over his “integrity” and “Columbia and Cambridge-education.” Today, as CJ Bandial vacates the official residence and gets ready to hang his coveted robes, those who did not tire of showering accolades are nowhere to be found. Instead, rampant accusations of his political “affiliations and familial notions of “fandom” abound. Speaking at a conference marking the beginning of a new judicial year, the outgoing chief justice had waved his hands in despair and regretted the “bitter” constitutional litigation that got the better of his tenure. Courtroom No. 1 sighed that the country’s top judiciary had been reduced to the role of a bystander while expressing hope that the next in line would devise a better mechanism for entertaining suo motu cases and managing the court’s affairs. No matter what Justice Bandial likes to believe, his actions cannot be described as having “sat back” by any means. Fiery speeches, alarming leaked conversations and partisan salutations would go down as the highlight of his time in the highest echelon of legal power. In a country where a man of his stature could play a defining role against the adjournment culture so that the millions upon millions of pending cases could finally be dealt with, he chose to spend his days fighting fire with fire. Airing the higher judiciary’s dirty laundry before the eyes of the masses would not be that easy to overlook even if he wishes for his brother judges to let go of “serious grievances.” As expected by many at the beginning of his tenure, Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial’s stint held historic proportions for Pakistan. *