source:Telegraph India
interest on joining politics: interest on joining politics: CJI Ramana also refocused out that there has been an increase in the number of physical attacks on judges and asserted that non-filling up of judicial vacuities and not perfecting the structure were the main reasons for pendency of cases in the country.
Expressing Concern over “ media running kangaroo courts ”, Chief Justice of India N V Ramana said on Saturday that “ ill- informed and docket- driven debates ” and “ prejudiced views ” are weakening the republic. “ I urge the media, particularly the electronic and social media, to bear responsibility, ” he said.
The CJI was delivering the initial lecture introduced in the memory of Justice Satya Brata Sinha in Ranchi. Speaking on the “ life of a judge ”, he said “ Doing justice isn’t an easy responsibility. It’s getting decreasingly gruelling with each passing day. At times, there are also combined juggernauts in media, particularly on social media against judges. Another aspect which affects the fair functioning and independence of the bar is the rising number of media trials. New media tools have enormous amplifying capability but appear to be unable to distinguish between the right and the wrong, the good and the bad, and the real and the fake. Media trials can not be a guiding factor in deciding cases. ”
“ Of late, we see the media running kangaroo courts, at times on issues that indeed endured judges finding it delicate to decide. Ill- informed and docket- driven debates on issues involving justice delivery are proving to be mischievous to the health of the republic. prejudiced views being propagated by the media are affecting the people, weakening the republic, and harming the system. In this process, justice delivery gets negatively affected. By overpassing and violating your responsibility, you’re taking our republic two way backwards, ” said the CJI.
“ publishing media still has a certain degree of responsibility. Whereas, electronic media has zero responsibility as what it shows vanishes into thin air. Still worse is social media, ” he said.
Saying that there’s a growing demand for stricter media regulations and responsibility, he advised the media to “ tone- regulate and measure their words ”. “ You shouldn’t overreach and invite hindrance, either from the government or from the courts. Judges may not reply incontinently. Please do n’t mistake it to be a weakness or helplessness. When liberties are exercised responsibly, within their disciplines, there will be no necessity of placing reasonable or commensurate external restrictions. I prompt upon the media, particularly the electronic and social media, to bear responsibly, ” he said.
The CJI also emphasised the need to strengthen the bar and empower judges, saying an increasing number of physical attacks on judges are being witnessed. “ Can you imagine, a judge who has served on the bench for decades, putting hardened culprits behind the bar, once he retires, loses all the protection that came with the term? Judges have to live in the same society as the people that they’ve condemned, without any security or assurance of safety. Politicians, functionaries, police officers and other public representatives are frequently handed with security indeed after their withdrawal owing to the perceptivity of their jobs. Ironically, judges aren’t extended analogous protection, ” he said.
Describing the bar as “ the organ which breathes life into the Constitution ”, the CJI said “ judicial review of legislative and administrative conduct is an integral part of the indigenous scheme; it’s the heart and soul of the Indian Constitution. ”
“ One gets to hear that judges, being unelected, shouldn’t get into legislative and administrative arenas. But this ignores the indigenous liabilities that are placed on the bar, ” he said.
The CJI said one of the biggest challenges before the bar at present is prioritising the matters for adjudication as judges can not turn a eyeless eye to social realities. “ I shall not fail to place on record my worries about the future of the bar in this country. The burden on an formerly fragile judicial structure is adding by the day. There have been many knee- haul responses in accelerating structures in many places. still, I have n’t heard of any concrete plan to equip the bar to meet the challenges of the foreseeable future, leave alone a long- term vision for the century and ahead, ” he said.
The need of the hour, he said, is to initiate amulti-disciplinary study, where scientific styles can be used to equip the bar for the future.
interest on joining politics
