Himachal Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday said the state can boast of an honest and hardworking judiciary as the State Judiciary had only 5.96 percent of cases pending for more than five years out of total pendency of 206727 in the year 2016.
Inaugurating the administrative block of Judicial Academy at Ghandal near Shimla, a building constructed at a cost of Rs 81 crore, he said even the Supreme Court in its report published in 2016 relating to the Subordinate Courts in India had stated that except North East States, Himachal Pradesh happens to be the most productive State with respect to old cases.
Asserting that the state government would provide all possible help for improving the judicial delivery system in the State as it was the constitutional duty of the State to administer justice to its citizens, Thakur said that since democracy was not only based on sovereignty of the people but was also reflected in the Constitution that the judiciary, as the third pillar of the State, had an important role in protecting the constitution and democracy.
He said an amount of Rs 165 crore has already been sanctioned for the construction of the Academy. Thakur expressed hope that the Academy would deliver and disseminate judicial knowledge to one and all and also help in propagating the concept of social justice as it is constitutional, fundamental and economic imperative in today’s world.
Judge of Supreme Court of India and former Chief Justice of HP High Court Justice Kurian Joseph said that the Judicial Academy was located in a salubrious and serene setting. He said that the State was known throughout the world as beautiful State with immense tourism potential. He said that he was happy to know that the State Government was committed to fully harness this potential.
Judges of HP High Court, retired judges of HP High Court, members of the Bar Council, Mayor Kusum Sadret, Advocate General Ashok Sharma and senior advocates were present on the occasion among others.