District judiciary is backbone of justice delivery system; strengthening it is 'need of the hour': CJI NV Ramana

Chief Justice of India, Justice NV Ramana has remarked that the District Judiciary is the backbone of the justice delivery system in India and the District Judicial officers are the 'first point of contact' for much of the population.

He has further remarked that public opinion about the judiciary is primarily based on their experiences with the district judiciary.

Speaking at the All India District Legal Services Authorities Meet held today, the CJI said,

"Strengthening the District Judiciary is the need of the hour. Without any doubt, the District Judiciary is the driving force behind the legal aid movement in India.....You (district judiciary) must undertake multifaceted tasks and roles. You are best placed to understand people’s problems and social issues."

Justice Ramana while delivering his address at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, said that access to justice is a tool for social emancipation.

Stressing on the need to flag the issues which hinder Judiciary's functioning, the CJI said,

"There is no meaning in camouflaging or hiding the problems. If we don’t discuss these issues, if matters of pressing concern are not addressed, then the system will cripple. I fear, we may be unable to fulfill our constitutional mandate of social justice. I urge you therefore, to DISCUSS, DEBATE AND DECIDE! This is the principle I have been following all through."

Referring to the issues of conditions of service, remunerations and infrastructure, he said that they deserve immediate attention.

Justice Ramana also spoke about how the Supreme Court this week tried to address some of these issues by way of direction for implementation of revised pay benefits.

Seeking active consideration and intervention in relation to the condition of undertrials, the Chief Justice has urged for effective representation before judicial forums. He thus said,

"We need sincere and dedicated jail visiting advocates. Jail visiting advocates can later become the legal aid authorized defense counsels. Such advocates must also be accessible to families of the prisoners, who are often unaware about their status. Similarly, counsel also must be aware about the conditions and needs of prisoners and must make appropriate and timely applications before the authorities."

At the end of his address, CJI also thanked Prime Minister Modi for his constant presence and encouragement to the legal services movement.

"We all know how tight the schedule of the Hon’ble Prime Minister is. Yet, my experience so far is that he has always readily agreed to associate himself with such events. In the span of one year, the Hon’ble Prime Minister has taken out valuable time to attend a number of events hosted by the judiciary. Thank You, Mr. Prime Minister", Justice Ramana said.

Justice Ramana also thanked former President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, on behalf of the entire judicial fraternity for his active association with the cause of justice.