Justice that is delayed is forgotten: chief justice of India

Delayed justice and the tardy disposal of cases could result in people losing faith in the judiciary, Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan said Wednesday after hoisting the tricolour at the Supreme Court.

"The people's faith in the judicial system begins to wane, because justice that is delayed is forgotten, excluded and finally discarded," the chief justice told a gathering on the occasion of India's 60th anniversary of independence.

He said the backlog of cases continued to mount despite the best efforts of the judiciary and urged the government to improve infrastructure so cases could be disposed of faster.

Balakrishnan called for setting up of "high quality and modernised training academies" for judges and lawyers to dispose cases faster. - IANS

Such academies needed to be set up at the lower judiciary level, he said.

"The lower judiciary is hindered with the problem of inadequate infrastructure, as well as poor working conditions in certain areas. This is a pressing concern, since most cases do not go beyond the lower judiciary.

"It is thus imperative to modernise the lowest rungs of the judicial system and introduce high quality and modernised training academies for the judges and lawyers. This will make for a better workforce," he observed.

He expressed his satisfaction at the innovative evening courts, mobile courts and e-courts set up by various high courts to make justice accessible to people living in the remotest parts of the country.

According to the latest figures, there are 25 million cases pending in the lower court, 3.6 million in the high courts and 43,580 in the Supreme Court.