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Synopsis

The Chief Justice of India today, during his inaugural address for the National Conference of the District Judiciary has mentioned the mental health issues of the district judiciary.

In doing so, he has highlighted that, judges despite being professionals, are affected by their own brush with reality and their mental health may suffer as a consequence.

"...multifarious responsibilities bring extraordinary challenges. It is difficult for a judge not to be affected by the actual face of suffering that each of us encounters every day – a family which is coming face to face with a gruesome crime, an undertrial who is languishing for years or the children in a parental matrimonial dispute...", the CJI said.

Justice Chandrachud added that while this aspect is of great consequence but it unfortunately does not receive the attention that it merits.

Notably, one of the sessions today at the conference will focus on holistic wellness, stress management, mental health, and quality of life. I hope that the discussion will bring to your attention practices which not only enhance your ability to discharge your duties effectively but enrich your lives, the CJI said in this regard.

In his speech, the CJI also called upon the legal fraternity to stop calling the district judiciary as the subordinate judiciary. Referring to the district judiciary as one which shoulders tremendous responsibility and is aptly described as the ‘backbone of the judiciary’, the CJI has said, "To sustain the spine of the legal system, we must stop calling the district judiciary as the subordinate judiciary. Seventy-five years after Independence, the time has come for us to bury one more relic of the British era – the colonial mindset of subordination".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who inaugurated the event at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi today has said that quicker the decisions in cases related to atrocities against women, the greater will be the assurance of safety for half the population.

Speaking at the inauguration function of the two-day National Conference of District Judiciary organized by the Supreme Court of India, PM Modi stressed the urgent need for fast decisions in cases of atrocities against women.

The Prime Minister also underscored the importance of the fast-track special courts established in 2019 and said that these have been designed to accelerate legal proceedings and provide a quicker resolution for victims.