Condition Of Courts In India Is Not All Rosy And Pink: CJI Dipak Misra While Inaugurating Delhi HC's New Courts Block

After a wait of several months and much speculation on the cause of delay, Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra finally inaugurated the New Courts Block of the Delhi High Court.In his address, the CJI reminisced about his own tenure at the Delhi High Court and lauded it for the progress it has made so far, saying, "Whenever I visit the Delhi High Court, I feel a sense of nostalgia, as I have some fond memories of the time when I served here as the Chief Justice. Viewed from this context, it becomes a matter of great satisfaction for me to witness Delhi High Court progressing, leaps and bounds, on various fronts. Today, this progress is in the area of infrastructure as we all gather here for the inauguration of the new Extension building."He then emphasized on the need for robust infrastructure for the judiciary, asserting that it must be "commensurate with its [judiciary's] constitutional obligation", adding, "The Courts in India perhaps see the highest footfall as compared to the Courts in other parts of the world. Our Courts cannot function effectively without having a robust infrastructure and other appending facilities. Any step towards establishing new and better infrastructure for our Courts brings with it a sense of achievement for us because we see it as a step closer in fulfilling the aim of ‘Access to Justice’."The CJI however lamented the poor infrastructure of the courts in the country, blaming it for the ever-mounting arrears and backlog of cases, and asserting that "adequate judicial infrastructure is a sine qua non for capacity building which will help in reduction of pendency". He went on to highlight the State's duty to not just provide for adequate judicial infrastructure, but also to ensure that the new buildings are technologically and ergonomically advanced to accommodate the Court staff, new generation of lawyers as well as litigants, all of whom are technologically savvy."It can be said without an iota of doubt that it is the imperative constitutional duty of the government of the day to provide to its citizens suitable judicial infrastructure so that the expression ‘Access to Justice’ does not remain a euphemism, and rather becomes a reality in the real sense of the term and the government must reflect its earnestness towards this end, through concrete efforts and measures," he added.CJI Misra then noted that the new building being inaugurated is environment-friendly as well, and urged all High Courts to explore and invest in the concept of green buildings. He further appreciated the Delhi High Court's well-crafted plan for expansion, noting, "The approach of Delhi High Court in this regard is quite distinct and well planned. I am delighted to see that the Delhi High Court has not only earmarked its growing infrastructural need in advance, about half a decade ago, but also orchestrated a development-cum-environment friendly plan to increase the capacity of its court complex by 40% in four years from 2013 and to 60% by 2020. This is a reflection of judiciously crafted scheme of infrastructural management. It gives me an additional pleasure that the High Court has taken due care to be cost-effective in expansion of its court complexes."He concluded his speech with the words of Winston Churchill, who had said that "we shape our buildings and thereafter, they shape us". The CJI hoped that the new building will "help in shaping a better future of the legal fraternity of Delhi as well as of other stakeholders". Also in attendance were Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister of Law & Justice and Electronics & IT; Supreme Court Judges-- Justice Madan B. Lokur, Justice Arjan K. Sikri, Justice N.V. Ramana, and Justice SK Kaul; Mr. Anil Baijal, Lieutenant Governor of Delhi; Mr. Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of Delhi; Justice Gita Mittal, Acting Chief Justice of Delhi High Court; Justice S. Ravindra Bhat, Judge, Delhi High Court; and Mr. Kirti Uppal, President, Delhi High Court Bar Association.READ THE FULL TEXT OF CJI DIPAK MISRA'S SPEECHShri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Hon’ble Union Minister of Law & Justice and Electronics & IT, Government of India, Hon’ble Shri Justice Madan B. Lokur, Hon’ble Shri Justice Arjan K. Sikri, Hon’ble Shri Justice N.V. Ramana, Hon’ble Shri Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, my esteemed colleagues in the Supreme Court, Shri Anil Baijal, Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Shri Arvind Kejriwal, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Delhi, Hon’ble Ms. Justice Gita Mittal, Acting Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, Hon’ble Shri Justice S. Ravindra Bhat, Judge, Delhi High Court, Hon’ble Judges of High Court of Delhi, Shri Kirti Uppal, President, Delhi High Court Bar Association, Learned Members of the Bar, Friends from the Electronic and Print Media, Ladies and Gentlemen. Whenever I visit the Delhi High Court, I feel a sense of nostalgia, as I have some fond memories of the time when I served here as the Chief Justice. Viewed from this context, it becomes a matter of great satisfaction for me...

Condition Of Courts In India Is Not All Rosy And Pink: CJI Dipak Misra While Inaugurating Delhi HC's New Courts Block

Apoorva Mandhani

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