Effective judiciary can aid in effective growth of economy: CJI raises concerns in over courts’ infrastructure
He was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the new annex building of the Bombay High Court’s Aurangabad Bench in presence of Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju.
FollowChief Justice of India N V Ramana emphasising the importance of judicial infrastructure for improving access to justice, said it is important for improving access to justice and to meet the growing demands of the public who are aware of their rights and are developing economically, socially, and culturally.
He was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the new annex building of the Bombay High Court’s Aurangabad Bench in presence of Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju.
“The judicial infrastructure for courts in India has always been an afterthought. It is because of this mindset that courts in India still operate with dilapidated structures, making it difficult to perform effectively,” the Chief Justice said, according to The Bar and Bench.
He added, “Only 5 per cent of court complexes have basic medical aid, and 26 per cent of the courts don’t have separate toilets for women. Sixteen per cent of the courts don’t even have toilets for men. Nearly 50 per cent of the court complexes don’t have a library, and 46 per cent don’t have the facility to purify water.”
Stressing on the need of proper infrastructure, CJI Ramana said, “If you want a different outcome from the judicial system, we cannot continue to work in this present condition. Court buildings are not merely structures made of mortar and bricks. Rather, they actively assure the constitutional guarantee of right to justice.”
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"It is baffling to note that the improvement and maintenance of judicial infrastructure is still being carried out in an ad-hoc and unplanned manner," CJI Ramana added.
He further said that the building that was inaugurated at Aurangabad on Saturday was envisioned in 2011.
"That it has taken 10 years for this vision to be implemented is extremely worrisome. This is a deeper problem that has plugged our judicial infrastructure planning in our country since the Independence," the CJI said.
"An effective judiciary can aid in the effective growth of the economy," he said.
The CJI stated it is a common notion that only criminals and victims approach court and people take pride in stating that they have never visited or seen a court building in their lifetime.
“But it is high time we take the efforts to remove this taboo for the affirmation of a citizen's rights. The common man deals with multiple legal issues during his lifetime. One must never hesitate to approach the courts. After all, people's faith in the judiciary is one the biggest strength of democracy," the CJI said.
