The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Judicial officers told to balance power with humility

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Monday, Apr 28, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Judicial officers told to balance power with humility

Special Correspondent

“Deficiencies of
legal system can
be addressed if
judicial officers apply themselves a bit more”

CHENNAI: Madras High Court Judge P. D. Dinakaran on Sunday urged judicial officers to balance their immense powers with a sense of humility and rationality.

In his valedictory address at the three-day zonal workshop on ‘Techniques and Tools for Enhancing Timely Justice’ organised by the Tamil Nadu State Judicial Academy, he appealed to judicial officers to be conscious of the power of their pens that could save or savage the liberty of individuals. “If you fail to strike a balance between power and humility, the very purpose of discharging justice is bound to fail,” he told a group of 110 munsifs, sub-judges and district judges from Chennai, Chengalpattu and Kancheepuram.

Mr. Dinakaran, who is also chairman of the Academy’s Board of Governors, wanted judicial officers to be sober in their approach and eliminate room for personal fancy while hearing out a persuasive lawyer on one side and a disorganised lawyer on the other.

A judicial officer was continuously assessed by society on the basis of his contribution to the important attributes of “transforming, service and perfection.”

Character, commitment and capacity were the hallmarks of a good judicial officer. Equally important were simplicity and clarity in discharging duties and the synthesis of legal wisdom and legal knowledge, he said.

Mr. Dinakaran said many of deficiencies of the legal system could be addressed if judicial officers applied themselves a bit more and got themselves equipped for the advances in science and technology, industrial progress and globalisation. Judicial officers should not be swayed by insincere praise and be open to honest criticism, while in social life they should maintain the status of “distinct personalities” and a certain degree of aloofness. “The judicial officer is an evolutionary bound by the rule of the law.”

“Avoid frustration”

Judicial officers should also strive for a work-life balance and avoid the frustration of an unhappy home that was bound to spill over to the office, Mr. Dinakaran said.

Earlier, inaugurating the programme on Friday, Madras High Court Judge S. J. Mukhopadhaya said judicial officers should do some homework outside court hours so that they could better organise and plan the disposal of pending cases.

D. Murugesan, High Court judge, said courts should show sensitivity and realism within the parameters of law, instead of sticking to a technical approach, while redressing the grievances of the poor.

In some cases, he said, the remand of a person was repeatedly extended by a judicial officer without his being presented in court. Doing so was an infringement of a person’s fundamental right to tell the court whether there was any instance of torture, denial of interview or medical aid.

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