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Wednesday, Jun 25, 2008
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Governments driving people to courts: CJI

G. Srinivasan

“Courts heavily burdened with cases”
CJI for out-of-court settlements

THANJAVUR: Chief Justice of India K. G. Balakrishnan said that people were being driven to courts in many land acquisition cases by the government.

Instead, the State governments should evolve a system to settle cases out of court, he said.

Speaking at the bicentenary celebrations of the constitution of the Thanjavur district court on Tuesday, Justice Balakrishnan said that India needed more courts and a huge number of judges.

“Our courts are heavily burdened with cases. Our disposal rate is 23 per cent, but the piling up of cases is at 30 to 32 per cent,” he said.

Governments could settle a lot of cases by paying the right compensation on claims and people could also help by approaching the Lok Adalat and using other alternative modes of dispute resolution.

The Chief Justice allayed the misconception among some State governments that courts were in confrontation with governments.

“While discharging their duties, courts set aside some government orders. This does not mean that courts are in confrontation with governments,” he said.

Landmark judgment

Presiding over the function, the Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi thanked the Chief Justice for giving a landmark social justice judgment by providing 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in premier institutes such as the Indian Institute of Technology.

Mr. Karunanidhi recalled that it was the Thanjavur district court that upheld his election to the Thanjavur Assembly Constituency when a case was filed against his election in 1962.

He also recalled the landmark judgment given by the court in the Keelavenmani incident in which Dalits were burnt to death at Keelavenmani village in Nagapattinam district.

Law Minister Durai Murugan, Union Minister of State for Law K. Venkatapathy and Madras High Court Chief Justice A. K. Ganguly spoke.

Thayarammal, the sole woman among the 141 district judges who served the Thanjavur court, lit the traditional lamp to inaugurate the function.

The Chief Minister released the bicentenary souvenir.

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