When Judiciary & Executive Align In Purpose, Constitution Comes Alive : CJI Surya Kant

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Sunday said that the cooperation between the executive and the judiciary was important for strengthening judicial infrastructure.

Laying the foundation for Telangana High Court Zone II in Hyderabad, the Chief Justice of India said he had the privilege of laying foundation stones for judicial court complexes in several States, including Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Assam, and now Telangana.

In this context, the CJI said, "State Governments across the political spectrum have recognised that strengthening judicial infrastructure is not an option but extremely essential."

"When the judiciary and executive align in purpose, the Constitution truly comes alive. That is what we are witnessing today here," the CJI said.

In his address, the CJI lauded the proactiveness of the Telangana State Government in sanctioning the project and hailed Chief Minister Revanth Reddy as "dynamic"

"I want to congratulate the State Government of Telangana, led by a Chief Minister who has been dynamic and shown a positive and constructive approach in the development of judicial infrastructure," CJI Kant said.

The Chief Justice said that construction work of Zone I of the High Court is progressing satisfactorily, and even as that work was progressing, Zone -II work is being commenced.

"The Judiciary and the State Government have chosen to proceed in parallel and rightly so," the CJI said.

The CJI further stressed that proper judicial infrastructure is necessary to realise the constitutional guarantee of access to justice and that judicial independence also has a practical dimension. He explained that a High Court functioning from scattered premises would remain dependent on external factors for its daily operations. The proposed 100-acre campus for the Telangana High Court in Hyderabad, including residential facilities for judges, would therefore bring an element of independence to the day-to-day functioning of the institution.

He expressed confidence that once completed, the 100-acre High Court complex would be among the best in the country and would enable the judiciary to function with institutional self-sufficiency.

The Chief Justice also highlighted the proposed auditorium and record room in the new complex as two structures that are particularly significant. He said the auditorium would facilitate legal education and public awareness programmes, while the record room would preserve court records of immense historical and archival value.

Recalling the background of the project, the CJI noted that in 2009, the Full Court of the High Court had resolved to establish a new complex following a fire incident. He said successive Chief Justices and Bar Associations had consistently pursued the matter with governments over the years.

Emphasising the importance of timely execution, the Chief Justice urged that timelines should be treated as commitments rather than aspirations. He added that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy had assured him that the project would be completed within two years.

Supreme Court Judges Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice Alok Aradhe, both former Chief Justices of the Telangana High Court, as well as Justice S. V. N. Bhatti and Justice P. S. Narasimha, who hail from Telangana, were also present at the function.

Justice Alok Aradhe stated that during his tenure as Chief Justice of the High Court, he had met Chief Minister Revanth Reddy in December 2023 to raise the need for a new High Court complex and that the Chief Minister had kept his promise.

Justice P. S. Narasimha also acknowledged that the project became a reality due to the support extended by the State Government.

Present Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh stated that under the leadership of Chief Minister Reddy, the State Government has accorded administrative sanction of over Rs 2500 crore for the project.