Justice delayed is justice denied. This was stated by President Pranab Mukherjee while inugurating the sesquicentennial function of the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad on Sunday. He urged the Central and State Governments to work hand in gloves to reduce the pendency of cases in the court. He added that judiciary had played an important role in maintaining the rule of law in the country.
Pranab Mukherjee said that the High Court was the guardian of people’s right and justice and High Court of Judicature at Allahabad had the largest jurisdiction in the country covering one-sixth of the country’s population. He added decisions of the Allahabad High Court had not only impacted the people of the State but of the entire country.
He stressed that justice must be “accessible, affordable and quick” for people to understand the meaning of justice. The President said as an upholder of the rule of law and enforcer of the right to liberty, the role of the judiciary was sacrosanct and the faith and confidence people had in it must be always maintained.
“Though the Indian judiciary has many strengths, it is yet to fully meet the aspirations of our people for speedy and affordable justice,” he said at the sesquicentennial celebration.
Mukherjee noted that the judiciary had played an important role since independence in strengthening the democratic framework of the country and maintaining rule of law.
“High Courts in particular have a unique position under the Constitution of India. They are not only guardians of people’s rights and liberty, they also have the onerous responsibility of ensuring that access to justice is not denied to any citizen on account of economic or any other disability,” the President said.
He said judiciary, which was one of the three important pillars of our democracy, was the fnal interpreter of the Constitution and it must help maintain social order by swiftly and effectively dealing with those on the wrong side of the law.
“Our courts are today overburdened on account of number of cases pending before them. There are over three crore cases pending in various courts throughout the country.
“Out of these, about 38.5 lakh cases are pending in 24 High Courts. The pendency of cases in the High Courts has slightly declined from 41.5 lakh in 2014 to 38.5 lakh in 2015, but still have a long way to go,” he said.
His remarks come in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement on the issue during the centenary celebrations of Patna High Court on Saturday. Modi had mooted a novel idea of courts coming out with an annual bulletin to highlight the oldest cases being tried by them to help create sensitivity on pendency of cases in the country.
Expressing concern over vacancy of judges in High Courts, the President said that out of a sanctioned strength of 1,056 judges in all the High Courts, the working strength of High Court judges through out the country was only 591, as on March 1, 2016.
“The High Court at Allahabad has only 71 judges, including the Chief Justice, against the sanctioned strength of 160 judges. Approximately, 9.11 lakh cases are pending in this court as of February 2016, a decline from 10.1 lakh cases in 2014,” he said. The President said the governments, judges and lawyers must work hand in hand to make justice a living reality.
Recalling the Centre’s presitigious “Make in India” project for making the country’s industrial hub, the President said that efforts should be made to spread judicial literacy in the country. He said that adequate provision should be made to provide legal aid to the poor and needy. He added that mediation sentre was an effective tool to reduce the pendency of cases.
On the auspicious occasion, Pranab Mukherjee released a postage stamp having a picture of the Allahabad High Court. The postage stamp was issued by the Department of Posts and Telegraph, Government of India. He also released a Rs10 coin issued by the Department of Finance, Government of India. A souvenir of 500 pages containing the history and important judicial decisions of the Allahabad High Court was also released by the President of India.
Speaking on the occasion, Union law Minister Sadananda Gowda stressed that the Centre was committed to providing necessary assistance to states for improving judicial infrastructure. He said that a scheme had been launched by the Centre, in this regard, under which Uttar Pradesh had been extended a financial help of Rs 50 crore.