Legal backlog can lead to revolt: CJI
Tribune News Service
Bangalore, December 12
Delay in justice delivery has been a perennial feature of the justice system of the country, making the prospect of knocking doors of the court a nightmarish thought for the common man.
The procrastination and resulting annoyance of litigants was acknowledged by Chief Justice of India KG Balakrishnan here today, who said inordinate delay in disposing off cases would lead the people to “revolt” against the legal system.
Making a strong pitch for doubling the number of subordinate courts to 35,000, Balakrishnan said: “We cannot have a backlog for long periods of time. People will revolt and the system will crumble”.
The CJI, who was speaking at a conference on 'Alternative dispute resolution- Conciliation and mediation’ here, said people still had confidence in the judiciary as they “feel they will get justice today or tomorrow or the day after tomorrow”. “But how long they can wait?” he said, adding: “We cannot have this much of delay at any cost. It should be reduced.”
The CJI attributed the delay to inadequate number of courts and unfilled vacancies of judges as the reasons responsible for pendency of a large number of cases.
Balakrishnan ducked the issue of the controversy surrounding Karnataka High Court Chief Justice PD Dinakaran, against whom an impeachment move has been set in motion in the Rajya Sabha.
“I have nothing to do with that”, he said when media persons sought his reaction on the issue.