I am what I am, I can't change: CJI Gogoi on being a 'strict man'

Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi said Wednesday he and his colleagues were trying to evolve a system to produce better results and reduce pendency of cases, as he expressed hope that vacancies in subordinate courts would be filled in three to four months. He said filling up the vacancies were not a problem but "getting the right man" was.

"The solution lies in getting the right man, and the right man will come only if the office maintains its aura and dignity. This is what I wanted to convey," Justice Gogoi said at an event organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association to felicitate him on his elevation as the country's top judge. "Let me tell you. Me and my colleagues are trying to evolve a system which can produce better results. We are working on it. We started working on it sometime back and may be in a couple of days, we will have it. We are trying to reduce the time between filing of cases and the listing of cases. We are trying to introduce a system by which the cases will not get dropped from the list," Justice Gogoi said.

Speaking at the event, Attorney General K K Venugopal reiterated his demand to increase the salary and retirement age of judges of the apex court and high courts. Responding to the AG's demand, Justice Gogoi said, "both are related", adding, "unless other issues faced by the institution are tackled", it's not going to work. "Similarly filling up of vacancies are very important. I am taking it up privately. Filling up of 5,000 vacancies that we have at the subordinate level. Will try to do it in 3-4 months but filling up of vacancies is not going to solve the problem," Justice Gogoi said, adding, "the solution lies in getting the right man".

In his first public event after being elevated as the Chief Justice of India, Justice Gogoi said the bar has a rich and illustrious legacy, and urged lawyers to "keep it up". He mentioned the names of "the greatest M K Gandhi", Jawaharlal Nehru, Lala Lajpat Rai, Gangadhar Tilak, B R Ambedkar, Motilal Nehru, Cornelia Sorabji, Sardar Patel, C R Das and C Rajagopalachari and said "this is the legacy of the bar". Justice Gogoi responded to the statement of the bar association president Vikas Singh, who said the present CJI is a "strict" man.

"Mr Vikas Singh said I am a strict man. I am what I am. I can't change," Justice Gogoi said. AG Venugopal said there should be an increase in the age of judges in the Supreme Court and the high courts and in the interest of judiciary, the age of retirement of judges of the higher courts should remain the same.

"This would result in a lot of heart burning to prevent the judges of the high court from coming to the Supreme Court and then meeting with the judges of the collegium to put over their cases personally to the chief justices of high courts to be allocated to the Supreme Court and so on and so on," he said, adding, "which I think is a very very bad habit for judges who are supposed to be independent and so on." On salary of the judges of the higher courts, he said it should be at least 3-4 times.

He said most of the advocates in subordinate courts have no place to sit and they make use of pavements and tree shades. "We are looking up to the committee of lawyers or are we concentrating on ourselves practising in the Supreme Court and the high court making big money. Look at the number of cars that we have. The latest imported cars are here in the parking lot and therefore I think it is necessary that we know how to ensure a proper compensation for them," Venugopal said.

He also pointed out that the Delhi High Court has a welfare fund but there is a case pending related to embezzlement and diversion of funds. "I don't know how lawyers can do that to themselves, if they have a heart and a conscious," he asked. On the issue of overcrowding, Venugopal said it has become difficult for him owing to his old age to cut across the crowd and reach before the bench inside the courtroom in the apex court.

"I am sure Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi will find a solution to what I consider to be an impractical problem," he said. The SCBA president said one of the major concerns for the judiciary was the pendency of cases. "I am so glad Justice Gogoi had made a statement before taking oath (as the CJI) that he has a plan for it," he said.