On Constitution Day, CJI Ramana flags ‘increasing’ attacks on judges
On Constitution Day, CJI Ramana flags ‘increasing’ attacks on judges
M.U.H
27/11/2021359
ON THE occasion of Constitution Day on Friday, Chief Justice of India N V Ramana expressed concern over the “increasing” attacks “on the judiciary in the media, particularly social media”. He said these attacks appeared to be “sponsored, synchronised… motivated and targeted”, and central agencies should “effectively” deal with them.
“An area of grave concern for the judiciary is the increasing attacks on judges. Physical attacks on judicial officers are on the rise. Then there are attacks on the judiciary in the media, particularly social media. These attacks appear to be sponsored and synchronised. The law enforcing agencies, particularly the central agencies, need to deal with such malicious attacks effectively. The governments are expected to create a secure environment so that the judges and judicial officers can function fearlessly,” he said at an event organised by the Supreme Court registry.
“…I want to tell all of you that you must assist judges and the institution. We are all ultimately part of one large family. Protect the institution from motivated and targeted attacks. Do not shy away from standing up for what is right, and against what is wrong,” he said at another event organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA).
At the SC registry event, which was also attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the CJI said the Executive and Legislature must work in conjunction with the judiciary. “Any deviation by the Legislature or Executive from the path prescribed by the Constitution will only lead to additional burden on the judiciary,” he said.
He said the “Laxman Rekha (of separation of powers) drawn by the Constitution is sacrosanct… but there are times when courts are compelled to pay attention to unresolved grievances, in the interest of justice”.
“The intention behind such limited judicial interventions is to nudge the Executive, and not to usurp its role,” he said, adding that “attempts to project such interventions and constructive observations as the targeting of one institution by another, are totally misplaced. If encouraged, such attempts will prove to be detrimental to the health of democracy.”
The CJI said the framers of the Constitution made accountability an integral element with respect to the Legislature and Executive. “However, they consciously decided to keep the judiciary on a different pedestal. They trusted the competence of the men and women who would adorn the Bench, in upholding the Constitution,” he said.
The CJI also said the huge pendency of cases, particularly in the lower judiciary, was “alarming”, and batted for “a multi-pronged approach involving all the stakeholders”, including “filling up existing vacancies of judicial officers… creation of necessary infrastructure”.
Addressing the event, Justice U U Lalit, the second most senior judge in the SC, said: “This Constitution has given us strength, character and that feeling of building of the nation”.