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Call to address challenges of Indian judicial system

KEY ISSUES: Madras High Court Judge P.D. Dinakaran addressing a workshop in Puducherry on Friday.

PUDUCHERRY: Madras High Court Judge P.D. Dinakaran on Friday stressed the need for rendering speedy justice through uncomplicated procedures, particularly against the backdrop of the challenges the Indian judiciary was facing in the globalised scenario.

Inaugurating a three-day zonal workshop for judicial officers of Puducherry, Cuddalore, Villupuram, Tiruvannamalai and Vellore here, he said the judiciary had been confronted with challenges that necessitated radical changes in the mindset of all those who were responsible for the management of judicial system.

Referring to the topic of the workshop, “Techniques and Tools for Enhancing Timely Justice,” he said, “The trend of globalisation requires us to judge our performance by international standards to compete with the best in the world.”

As society progressed, the values were changing and the complexities of trade and commerce were posing hitherto unknown problems for resolution by governance, he said.

This, in turn, was contributing not only to the complexity of litigation but also to the influx of disputes in courts, he said.

The role of the judges had considerably changed over the years, as they no longer sat in the ivory tower hearing and deciding the case and delivering judgment, Justice Mr. Dinakaran said. He described the role of the judges as “multifaceted.” With the focus shifting to transparency, they had to be efficient in court administration to meet the expectations of the people, he said.

“Judicial officers should become healers of conflict and play an active role in curbing procedural delay to dispense justice effectively without committing any error,” he said.

He appealed to them to equip themselves with the latest enactments and become “capable in adaptation and application of the emerging laws.”

High Court Judge Prabha Sridevan referred to the contention of the judicial officers that lawyers did not cooperate with them in the efforts to ensure timely justice. “I earnestly ask you to remember that we are the ones who control the courts and we cannot allow the lawyers to control the courts.”

When adjournments were sought, they could be granted for a brief period, she said, adding that by doing so, unnecessary delays could be avoided. She stressed the need for adopting information technology as a tool for enhancing timely justice.

Enhancement of infrastructure facilities at courts alone would not automatically reduce the delay. Judges gained respect not due to external indices but because of “what we are and how we give justice,” she said,

She also stressing the need for treating litigants with dignity.

Additional Director of the Tamil Nadu State Judicial Academy G .Jayachandran highlighted the significance of the workshop.

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