The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : Judicial delay

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Friday, Sep 07, 2007
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Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Judicial delay

This refers to the editorial “Justice and judicial delay” (Sept. 6). The backlog of cases cannot be cleared in the normal course as innumerable cases are being filed everyday. Radical, innovative and extraordinary measures are called for to deal with it. The initiative for judicial reforms should come from within the legal community. The Bench and the Bar should shake off their status-quoist approach and show the willingness to reform. If the Supreme Court takes steps such as reducing the number of holidays and increasing the working hours, the lower judiciary will follow suit. Such bold steps will galvanise the political establishment into taking action.

V.N. Mukundarajan,

Thiruvananthapuram

* * *

Simply put, justice delayed is justice denied. The delays in obtaining justice only serve to distance the layman from the judiciary, and help the corrupt to thrive. It is not beyond our country’s means to allocate some more funds for the smooth functioning of the judicial machinery and bring down the mind-boggling figures of backlog.

Jims Andrews,

Kozhikode

* * *

Surely, it is the vexatious dragging-on of cases that undermines the rights of litigants and the accused. That is why we hear of affected persons resorting to out-of-court settlements through kangaroo courts, or launching direct action with the help of hirelings. There is a widely held view that only those who cannot afford to pay lawyers and the innocent on whom cases are foisted rot in jails while others use the loopholes in the law to escape punishment. Before the judiciary loses its credibility, all steps deemed necessary to salvage its prestige should be enforced.

T.R.S. Rangan,

Bangalore

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