At present, the HC has 34 judges, out of the sanctioned 60.
The war of words between the Executive and the Judiciary over the appointment of judges in High Courts only seems to be getting louder. On Monday, Chief Justice of India (CJI) TS Thakur once again expressed his concern over the shortfall of judges to handle the avalanche of cases in the Delhi High Court (HC). The CJI was speaking at an event marking 50 years of the HC.
"Financial constraints cannot stand in the way of access to justice. It should be a reality and it cannot be a reality if people have to wait for years and years for their cases to be decided," the CJI said.
"...It is natural that the Delhi judiciary will come under tremendous pressure in times to come. Already, there are difficulties in keeping pace with the avalanche of cases that keep coming as the number of judges remains limited," Justice Thakur said.
At present, the HC has 34 judges, out of the sanctioned 60. Justice Thakur supported Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who also addressed the gathering at Vigyan Bhavan. Kejriwal assured the Judiciary that his government will improve infrastructure and increase the number of courts to hear cases.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the chief guest at the event, which was also attended by Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Najeeb Jung, Delhi High Court Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice BD Ahmed.
Addressing the gathering, the CJI said that judges should introspect about their conduct in court. Without referring to any specific incident, he said that past instances had brought disrepute to the institution. As a result, this has affected the public perception towards the judiciary.
"Judges should not bother about criticism. They should commit themselves to carry out 'unpolluted justice,' the CJI said.
The CJI has been repeatedly appealing to the Centre to fill the vacancies to prevent the institution from suffering. The Centre has already defended its stand on the issue.
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