Chief Justice of India Hl Dattu has ordered setting up a ‘Social Justice Bench’ to exclusively focus on cases concerning social issues particularly those related to women, children and underprivileged which are either pending or yet to be filed in the Supreme Court.
Emphasising that judiciary needs to be proactive to ensure early disposal of such cases and to bring fruits of the rights provided under the Constitution to people, a release issued by the Supreme Court Secretary General’s office informed that the Bench comprising Justices Madan B lokur and UU lalit will hold its sitting every Friday at 2 pm beginning December 12.
“In Supreme Court several cases relating to the domain of social justice are pending for several years. The Chief Justice of India is of the view that these cases shall be given a specialised approach for their early disposal so that the masses will realise the fruits of the rights provided to them by the constitutional text,” the SC release said. The ‘Social Justice Bench’ will deal specially with the matters relating to society and its members, to secure social justice, one of the ideals of the Indian Constitution, it added.
Some of the issues to be dealt with by the special Bench will relate to release of surplus foodgrains lying idle in stocks for drought-affected areas, fresh scheme for public distribution of foodgrains, steps to prevent untimely death of women and children for want of nutritious food, providing hygienic meal besides issues relating to children, to provide night shelter to destitute and homeless, to provide medical facilities to all the citizens irrespective of their economic condition, to provide hygienic drinking water, to provide safety and secure living condition for the fair gender who are forced into prostitution etc.