This refers to your report “We don’t go on vacation to Manali” CJI retorts after PM’s suggestion” (April 26). The emotional flare-up of Chief Justice T.S. Thakur was literally reduced to tears moving and his agony understandable. The statistics of pending cases as against growing litigation is alarming. With a backlog of 38.68 lakh cases, and the tragedy of people pining in jails and facing lengthy trials, the government should now act in haste to mitigate people’s sufferings. Merely appointing judges without taking into account their competence and integrity is no solution. There should be no discrimination in taking up cases and access to legal help must cross social and economic barriers. It is not uncommon for cases to be prolonged for even a decade or longer. I agree judges need time off, but is not shocking that courts productively work only for half the year. Why? Actions need to be taken to weed out corruption and to stop inept and incompetent persons from being appointed as Judges of High Courts. Government should ensure every possibility in its capacity to accelerate the process and ensure that the sacredness of the judiciary is preserved. As our PM was a part of the audience at the function, he must act quickly.
Vinod C. Dixit
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
