Terming delay in justice as injustice, President of India Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday said that adjournment of cases should be avoided and it should be given only when no alternative was available.
While emphasising the need for easy and cheap justice, the President said that justice, as far as possible, should be given in the local language so that the litigant could understand it easily and in a much better way. In this connection, he lauded the Chhattisgarh High Court for taking initiative to provide a Hindi version of the orders.
For reducing the pendency of cases, the President emphasised the need for encouragement of alternative dispute redressal system such as mediation.
President Ram Nath Kovind was addressing a programme while laying the foundation stone of Nyaya Gram at Allahabad High Court grounds on Saturday. Nyaya Gram will be a model township situated at Devghat, Jhalwa, and house a judicial academy and an auditorium with state-of-the-art facilities.
Simultaneously, ‘bhoomi pujan’ was also performed at Devghat, Jhalwa with the aid and assistance of a pundit, a maulvi and a priest.
Earlier, the President lauded the role played by the lawyers of Allahabad High Court in freedom struggle. He said that both the Bar and the Bench had contributed a lot in making this great institution.
The President also said that around three crore cases were pending in the state. He lauded the Allahabad High Court for disposing of around 60 lakh cases pending in lower courts.
Addressing the foundation stone laying ceremony of Nyaya Gram, the President further said that infrastructure also helped in reducing pendency of cases.
While lauding the valour of Indian soldiers who defeated Pakistani army in 1971 on this day, known as Vijay Diwas, the President dedicated the foundation-laying ceremony to those brave soldiers who fought for the country.
On this occasion, UP’s Governor Ram Naik emphasised the need for filling up all the vacant posts of judges, adding that he would clear the file relating to it at the earliest.
For timely completion of Nyaya Gram, the Governor advised that a committee be set up to review the progress of work every month so that there was no delay as had taken place while making the new building of the Allahabad High Court in lucknow.
While promising all support from the side of the state government in achieving the objective of cheap justice, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath cautioned that such public interest litigations should be discouraged which were filed with the sole motive of getting publicity as they hindered the progress of projects of the government.
While pointing out that UNESCO has included Kumbh in its heritage site list, the Chief Minister said that Allahabad had a glorious tradition.
Welcoming the President on his first visit to the city after assuming office, the Chief Minister said that the invisible Saraswati could be seen in Allahabad among those students preparing for various competitive examinations here.
The Chief Minister further said that his government had developed a portal for sorting out problems. He said that so far around 40 lakh complaints had been received and around 20 lakh had been sorted out till date. The Chief Minister hoped that the next programme of the High Court would be held in the new auditorium to be set up in Nyaya Gram.
On this occasion, Justice Ashok Bhushan of the Supreme Court emphasised the important roles played by judicial officers in delivery of justice, adding that they needed training from time to time.
Another Supreme Court judge, Justice RK Agrawal, said that Allahabad High Court had proved its worth from time to time and had been able to maintain its glorious traditions.
Earlier, in his welcome address, Allahabad High Court’s Chief Justice Dilip Babasaheb Bhosale said, “Public has faith in judiciary therefore it is our duty to maintain it”.
Emphasising the need of judicial training, the Chief Justice extended thanks to the state for providing land for Nyaya Gram.
Justice Tarun Agarwala, a senior judge of the High Court and chairman of the organising committee, proposed the vote of thanks.
Earlier, the President commenced his engagement with paying tributes at the statue of the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi at the Marble Hall of the High Court. Thereafter, he met the judges of in the Chief Justice’s library and had a group photograph with them.
On the request of the High Court, the state government has provided 34.82 acres of land at Devghat, Jhalwa in Allahabad for the construction of the judicial academy, auditorium and residences for High Court judges and staff, with the provision of future expansion. The site is eight kilometres away from the High Court and lies at a stone’s throw distance from the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) and is also connected with Subedarganj railway station, which is at a distance of 3.2 km.