Kerala - Kochi   

`Country should move towards new social order'

By Our Staff Reporter

KOCHI, MAY 19. The true challenge before the country is to free itself from the stranglehold of historical obsession and move towards a new political and social order, said the former Chief Justice of India, Y. V. Chandrachud.

Inaugurating the lecture series organised by the V. R. Krishna Iyer National Foundation for Law here on Tuesday, he said the weakness of the Indian civilisation arises from the caste system, which gave to society an irritating sense of guilt, and has led to the provisions of the Constitution regarding reservation of seats in legislature and civil service. The founding fathers of the Constitution preferred to embark upon the course of creating a new India free from its historical tenets and shackles, he said.

The ghost of the past has not liberated our society and the caste system developed a political appeal, which led to the religions like Christianity and Islam, which are not afflicted by the sins of the caste system, to discover from the blue their Dalits, or the Scheduled Castes. They are now demanding the benefits of reservations for their scheduled sects. Even the economically backward segments of the forward communities are demanding reservation in public services and educational institutions.

Moreover, the women are demanding reservation in municipal corporations, zilla parishats and in legislatures, he said.

Internationally, the countries, which have made dramatic impact on social inequalities, are many of our neighbours in East and South East Asia. They focused on the few factors, which dramatically influence all inequalities. These countries shared the same handicaps as India in the 1960s. Today they have almost overcome social injustice and now enjoy an economic and political status, which India looks like taking much longer to attain, he said.

According to Mr. Chandrachud, the delay in disposal of court cases was a matter of grave concern. It is believed that because of the court delays, people take law in their own hands and obtain relief through extra-legal methods, he said. The courts are flooded with litigation and there are not enough number of judges to deal with the vast number of litigations. The vacancies are not promptly filled and the work keeps on mounting. Besides, courts are now called upon to handle new and diverse matters, which put added pressure on the time, talents and energy of judges, he said.

The Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court, Justice N. K. Sodhi, presided over the meeting.

The former Supreme Court Judges, V. R. Krishna Iyer and K. T. Thomas, the senior Kerala High Court lawyer, Kelu Nambiar, and the president of the Kerala High Court Advocates' Association, K. Ramkumar, attended.

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