Tag: Chief Justice of India

CJI

Greater Collaboration Needed Between Judges & Lawyers: CJI

By LokMarg

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, while addressing lawyers at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, remarked that greater collaboration between judges and lawyers is a prerequisite for strengthening the legal system and making it resilient for future challenges. 

While addressing a gathering of over 600 advocates at Chatrapati Sambhaji

Nagar today, the Chief Justice of India emphasized the importance of enhancing collaboration between judges and lawyers to find solutions for the betterment of the legal system and the administration of justice.

The CJI was addressing an event organised to mark the 75th Marathwada Liberation Day, also known as Marathwada Mukti Sangram Din.

Speaking on the occasion, Justice Chandrachud shared the importance of the Marathwada liberation movement in Marathi.

The CJI unfurled the national flag at the Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay High Court, in accordance with the annual tradition to commemorate a day of historic significance to Marathwada, Maharashtra and the nation.

Speaking to the lawyers, the CJI cautioned against lawyers resorting to strikes and boycotting courts. He emphasised that issues could always be amicably resolved by discussion and co-operation between the Bar and the Bench.

Emphasizing the need to ensure that women are given a significant voice in the legal system, as legal professionals, the CJI stated that it is a constitutional duty of every member of the legal profession to provide substantive institutional support and encouragement to women lawyers.

For the young lawyers, he encouraged all lawyers to provide proper guidance and support to the young members of the legal profession.

Though India obtained freedom from colonial rule on 15 August 1947, a few princely states including Hyderabad (which was under the Nizam) refused to merge with the Union of India.

There was popular unrest against the Nizam and a movement for liberating Marathwada gained roots. The populace was subjected to unrelenting atrocities. Innumerable people sacrificed their lives for the liberation of Marathwada. Amidst the unrest, the government of India launched a military operation named Operation Polo.

On 17 September 1948, the Nizam eventually surrendered and agreed to the merger. There were several internal freedom movements such as the Marathwada Mukti Sangram which ensured that India became a union of states. (ANI)

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CJI Chandrachud Brings Mojo Back To Judiciary

‘CJI Chandrachud Brings Back Transparency, Proficiency, Easy Access to Court’

By LokMarg

Bhavesh Kumar, an LLM student at National Academy of Legal Studies & Research, Hyderabad, says law students have found a new role model in CJI DY Chandrachud. His views:

The Supreme Court of India has witnessed several new initiatives in the first nine months of the dynamic leadership of the Chief Justice of India (CJI), Dr Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud. Long pending Constitutional Law cases have been taken up for hearing, and the court has not shied away from asking tough questions from the government.

He definitely is bringing the mojo back into the judiciary, building up on the strengths as well as shedding light upon the shortcomings and improving the overall framework. From taking suo moto cognizance regarding the Manipur incident video that emerged online, asking the Centre and State to appraise the steps taken on the issue to suspending Rahul Gandhi’s two year prison sentence in the defamation case, the Supreme Court is substantiating the independence of the judiciary pillar of our vibrant democracy.

Live streaming of constitutional bench hearings and AI enabled live transcripts of court arguments are a big leap towards transparency and accessibility to the highest court of the country. There is a definite expansion of the horizons, giving so much to youth to look up to our CJI as a role model.

‘The Role of Judiciary in a Changing World’ by Hon’ble Justice Sundaresh Menon, Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Singapore, was organised by the Supreme Court of India this month, and they also conducted the first ever Hackathon for identifying innovative ideas and exploring practical propositions for enhancing and bringing competence to the already existing processes from ‘filing to listing’ of judicial matters.

The CJI launched the eSCR (electronic version of the Hon’ble Supreme Court Reports) as a tribute to the nation. With more than 34,000 judgments available online, the portal provides facility to search judgments based on various parameters like, phrase, words, name of the judge, bench strength, volume, citation, date of decision etc. With an aim to provide access to judgments in scheduled languages, the new feature provides translated versions of Supreme Court judgments in Indian languages making it a huge boon for not only the legal minds but also making things elementary for those interested in looking judgments up for any reason at all.

ALSO READ: ‘Tardy Justice Breeds Calls For Extra-Judicial Measures’

Dr Chandrachud also gave a visionary outlook to the process of scanning and providing soft paper books for paperless court functioning to ensure that judiciary uses technology to its optimum level. ‘AI assisted Legal Translation Advisory Committee’ was also constituted with domain experts in the field of Artificial Intelligence as the Members of the Committee, to evaluate and oversee the advancement of as well as propose actions to additionally improve the utilisation of AI tools for translation of legal documents in various vernacular languages within the Supreme Court of India. Even the online RTI portal, introduced on November 24th, 2022, marks a significant stride towards transparency, the elimination of paper-based application submissions, appeals, and online payment of fees via methods like net banking, card payments, UPI, and more.

Our Chief Justice is entrusted with upholding justice and ensuring a fair application of laws and his dedication to impartiality and fairness sets an example to treat others equitably and stand up against injustices. His effective leadership skills and a strong sense of responsibility inspire young people to take on leadership roles and responsibilities in their own lives and communities.

The ethical conduct he carries can motivate young people to prioritize integrity and honesty in their own actions. Furthermore, his significant impact on shaping legal precedents and guiding the direction of the legal system can encourage anyone to pursue careers in law and contribute positively to legal reforms and progress.

As told to Deepa Gupta

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LGBTQIA

Hope To See Legal Stamp On Rainbow Marriages Of Our Children: Parents Of LGBTQIA+ Children

By LokMarg

In a letter to the Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, the parents of Indian LGBTQIA+ children appealed to consider the plea for Marriage Equality and added that “we hope to see the legal stamp on rainbow marriages of our children in our lifetime.”

The letter written by the parents of Indian LGBTQIA+ children from a group named Sweekar – The Rainbow Parents, stated, “We desire to see our children and our children-in-law find legal acceptance for their relationship under the Special Marriages Act in our country. We are certain that a nation as big as ours, which respects its diversity and stands for the value of inclusion, will open its legal gates of Marriage Equality to our children too. We are growing old. Some of us will touch 80 soon. We hope that we get to see the legal stamp on the rainbow marriages of our children in our lifetime.”
Sweekar – The Rainbow Parents is a support group for parents of LGBTQIA+ by parents of LGBTQIA+ to help navigate their journey towards acceptance. There are more than 400+ parents from the length and breadth of the nation.

The letter further stated, “We are appealing to you to consider the plea for Marriage Equality.”

“From knowing about gender and sexuality to understanding the lives of our children, to finally accepting their sexuality and their loved one – we have gone through the whole gamut of emotions. We empathise with those who are opposing Marriage Equality because some of us were there too. It took us education, debate, and patience with our LGBTQIA+ children to realize that their lives, feelings, and desires are valid,” the parents said.

“Similarly, we hope that those who oppose Marriage Equality will come around too. We have faith in the people of India, the constitution and the democracy of our nation,” said the parents of Indian LGBTQIA+ children.

On September 6, 2018, the Supreme Court of India read down section 377 to decriminalize consensual sexual relationships. In doing so, with its statements, it ascertained that their children should be treated with dignity and acceptance, The Rainbow Parents said.

The letter further said that Gender and Sexuality made to election manifestos and corporate India has also begun opening up gradually to the idea of queer lives.

“Society is a changing and evolving phenomenon. Just as a rising tide lifts all boats, the judgment by the honourable Supreme Court created a ripple effect on society and has helped move the needle from hate to tolerance to acceptance,” the rainbow parents said. (ANI)

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LGBTQ Petitioner In SC

LGBTQ Members Should Not Be Stigamatised: Petitioner In SC

By LokMarg

A petitioner on Tuesday argued before the Supreme Court that LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning) community should not be stigmatised but assimilated with society by allowing marriage equality.

During the hearing, the court remarked that the present matter shall be restricted to the Special Marriage Act and not interfere with personal laws.

Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for one of the petitioners said that the members of the LGBTQ+ shall not be stigmatised and should be assimilated within the society. The assimilation of members of the LGBTQ+ will only happen after state accepts the same-sex marriage, the lawyer argued.

A five-judge Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud and comprising justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Ravindra Bhat, Hima Kohli and P.S. Narasimha was hearing a batch of petitions pertaining to ‘marriage equality rights for LGBTQAI+ community’.

Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta submitted that Hindus and Muslims will be affected and stressed that states should be heard while deciding the issue.

SG Mehta said that the legislative intent throughout has been that marriage is between a biological man and a biological woman.

CJI DY Chandrachud remarked that the very notion of a biological man is absolute which is inherent. SG Mehta responded that biological man means biological man and there is no notion. But CJI remarked that there is no such thing as an absolute concept of biological man and woman.

SG Mehta’s submission was made while he was stressing SC to hear the first Centre application which raised preliminary issues to the present petitions and said that question pending before the top court Bench is to deal with the creation of a socio-legal relationship of marriage. SG Mehta said that this is in the domain of the legislature.

SG Mehta also submitted that there is no legal lacuna in the transgender act and apprised that there is a clarification that none will discriminate against transgender persons. SG Tushar Mehta said that there are provisions of reservation for transgender

Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for one of the petitioners, submitted that the top court in various judgements such as Navtej Singh Johar vs Union of India and KS Puttaswamy vs Union of India have already recognised the rights of the members of the LGBTQ+ community.

The petitioner’s lawyer urged the top court that the Supreme Court should now provide positive rights by granting the declaration of marriage equality rights to all people including to same-sex couples.

The members of the LGBTQ+ shall not be stigmatised and should be assimilated within society. The assimilation of members of the LGBTQ+ will only happen after state accepts the same-sex marriage, the lawyer argued.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for one of the intervening applicants, raised the question that what will happen to the adopted child or other various things if the marriage breaks down between the same-sex couple. Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal said these issues cannot be done in piecemeal. He pointed out that it is a very complex issue which will have ramifications.

Senior advocate Rohatgi argued about the Roman emperor Nero who married twice, two men, at that time. He also apprised the court about widow remarriage which was earlier not accepted by society.

Countering the Centre’s submission, senior advocate Rohatgi said that the choice of an individual is not an “elitist concept” but it is innate and people are born with it like Nero.

Senior Advocate Rohatgi said it can not be criminalized but same-sex couples are being stigmatized.

Advocate Rohtagi made further submissions that the rights of people of the LGBTQAI+ community are already envisaged in the Constitution of India as well as by the top Court over time. He submitted that the top Court is not expected to reinvent the wheel, and rather only seeks an affirmative declaration of rights which are already held to be enshrined within the conspectus of the Constitution in a catena of decisions.

Rohatgi urged the Court that it is the conscience keeper of the Constitution of India and it cannot be a defence for the State to contend that the Petitioners should await appropriate legislation by the Parliament on the issue.

The matter, which is being heard day-to-day, will continue hearing the matter on Wednesday. (ANI)

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supreme court women dr

Don’t Mess Around With My Authority: SC To Lawyer

By LokMarg

“Don’t mess around with my authority,” said Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Tuesday to a lawyer who was trying to mention a matter to get an early date of hearing.

The counsel mentioned the matter for an early listing of his case, but the CJI said, “The matter is already listed for hearing on April 17.”
The counsel then sought to mention the case before another bench. To which the CJI asked the counsel, “Your date is 17th, you want to mention it before another bench to get a date of 14th?”

The counsel then told the bench that a similar matter was taken up on Monday by the court and some fresh matters were also mentioned.

“If it is listed for 17th it will come on 17th. Don’t mess around with my authority,” said the CJI.

The CJI further told him, “Do not play these tricks with me. You can’t mention it here and then elsewhere for an earlier date.”

Earlier in March, there was a heated exchange of words as the Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud lost his calm at the Supreme Court Bar Association president Vikas Singh while hearing a land allotment matter relating to lawyers’ chambers.

An exchange of words was witnessed when the SCBA President stressed for listing a matter before a bench led by CJI DY Chandrachud.

SCBA President Vikas Singh apprised the court that they are struggling to get the matter listed for the last six months.

When the SCBA President urged for listing the matter, he also said that they have to take it to the judge’s residence if the matter did not get listed.

CJI Chandrachud lost his temper and asked the senior lawyer, “Is this the way to behave?”

“I will not be cowered down by you,” CJI DY Chandrachud said adding that he has been in this profession for 22 years and never allowed himself to be browbeaten by a member of the Bar, litigant or anyone else and will not let that happen in the last two years of his profession.

SCBA President also refused to maintain silence. Thereafter, the court said that it will list the matter on March 17 but not as item 1 in the cause list.

During the mention of cases, the SCBA president urged the court to list the matter early as the matter is not listed for six months. Senior Advocate said that the Appu Ghar land came under the Apex court premise on the petition by the SCBA but the Bar got only one block (ANI)

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Indian Judiciary Rijiju

Indian Judiciary To Go Paperless soon: Rijiju

By LokMarg

Union Law and Justice Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday asserted the Indian judiciary will go completely paperless in the near future.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Delhi High Court new building, the Minister said, “I had a detailed meeting about the e-Court projects. For e-courts I have also requested the Chief Justice of India (CJI) to complete the task in his tenure.”
He said lawyers in the country should be prepared for paperless work adding that the Ministry has conveyed to law officers that very soon the system will have to go paperless.

“When we talk about the judiciary which is totally digital, then it will have a huge impact on the justice delivery mechanism itself. It will also help in delivering fast result,” Rijiju said.

While stating that as the central government has a well-defined role, Law Minister Rijiju said, the Centre cannot do much for High Court infrastructure as it is the State government who has to look after the expenditure for developing the infrastructure.

“We have to make the judiciary more interesting and attractive so that aggrieved people should be able to come to courts with ease,” he said

On Tuesday, the Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud inaugurated a new ‘S block’ of the Delhi High Court. Besides the Chief Justice of India, Law and Justice Minister Kiren Rijiju, Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Puri, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Justice Hima Kohli, Justice Sanjeev Khanna of Supreme Court, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal were guests of honour at the inauguration function.

According to the Delhi High Court communication, the ‘S block’ building is truly a new benchmark in judicial infrastructure as well as public architecture made possible by the support of the Government of India, the Government of Delhi and all Government regulatory as well as project management agencies who worked synergistically to serve in the cause of justice.

According to Delhi High Court’s press communication, the new building has Delhi International Arbitration Centre with 18 new arbitration rooms and huddle rooms. It will also have a Judicial Convention Centre with Full Court Facility, a 285-seater Auditorium, 200 lawyers’ Chambers, and Common meeting rooms with other facilities for lawyers including a cafeteria.

The new Block will also have offices across 6 floors and a large 300 capacity Parking facility across three basements. (ANI)

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Supreme Court on living will

SC To Hear Plea For Lifetime Ban On Convicted MPs, MLAs From Contesting Elections

By LokMarg

The Supreme Court on Tuesday posted for next week hearing in a plea seeking to debar convicted Members of Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies from contesting elections for life.

A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justice Hima Kohli and JB Pardiwala said that it will hear the matter next week as it was hearing other matters.
Senior advocate Vijay Hansaria, who was appointed amicus curiae to assist the top court in the matter, told the bench, “I am requesting, some urgent orders are required.”

The bench said it will hear the matter next week.

A recent status report submitted before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) stated that there are 51 MPs and 71 MLAs, sitting and former, who stand accused by the agency of offense under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The report does not specify exactly how many of those are sitting MPs/MLAs and how many are former MPs/ MLAs.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has also submitted a similar report stating that a total of 121 cases are pending trial against sitting and former MPs and MLAs.

The number of MPs involved in those cases is 51 out of which 14 are sitting, 37 are former and 5 are deceased. The report further stated that 112 MLAs are involved in CBI cases out of which 34 are sitting, 78 are former and 9 are deceased.

The number of cases pending investigation against MPs and MLAs by the CBI is 37, the report of the CBI submitted.

Hansaria also filed a report pursuant to an order passed by the court seeking a status report relating to the pendency and grant of sanctions for prosecution, the expected time for completion of the investigation, and reasons for the delay in the same.

In his report Hansaria highlighted a “glaring case of inordinate delay” in the trial of cases against lawmakers, submitting that many cases were pending for over five years.

He sought directions to ensure that courts dealing with case against lawmakers should exclusively try such issues.

The plea filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay sought direction that convicted parliamentarians and State legislators, former and sitting, should be disqualified and banned for life from contesting elections to Parliament or Assemblies.

The plea also sought speedy disposal of cases against them and pointed out that while judges and babus were suspended for such activities, politicians were condoned by the law.

As of now, convicted politicians are banned from polls for six years.

The Central government in an affidavit filed in 2020 had rejected the idea of a lifetime ban on convicted persons contesting elections or forming or becoming an office-bearer of a political party.

It had said that disqualification under the Representation of the People Act of 1951 for the period of six years was enough for legislators.

Hansaria had earlier filed the report in the apex court and informed that a total of 4,984 criminal cases against former and sitting MPs and MLAs are pending before various sessions and magistrate courts across the country, an increase of 862 such cases in the last three years.

In August 2021 the top court directed that no prosecution against sitting former MPs and MLAs will be withdrawn without the permission of the High Court of the concerned state.

It had further directed that judges hearing the criminal cases against MPs and MLAs in Special Courts should continue in their current posts until further orders of the Supreme Court. (ANI)

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Retd CJI UU Lalit Backs Collegium System, Calls It ‘Near Perfect’

Unless Guilt Established, Circumstantial Evidence Theory Not Accepted: Chhawala Case

By LokMarg

Amid the public outrage over the acquittal of three accused in the Chhawala rape and murder case, former Chief Justice of India UU Lalit on Sunday said unless and until that guilt is completely established, circumstantial evidence case theory is not to be accepted.

Speaking to ANI, Justice Lalit said, “The element was purely based on circumstantial evidence. Law is clear that facts must point only in direction of the guilt of that man, unless and until that guilt is completely established, circumstantial evidence case theory is not to be accepted.”
On the public outcry on his judgment in the Chhawala rape case, Justice Lalit said the law is that the chain must get completed.

“There were actually no circumstances that could point in their direction conclusively. The law is that the chain must get complete, it is on account that the benefit of the doubt must flow in that direction,” added the former CJI.

The Supreme Court on Monday set aside the Delhi High Court order and acquitted three men who were awarded the death penalty by a lower court after being held guilty of raping and killing a 19-year-old woman in Delhi’s Chhawala area in 2012.

A bench of Chief Justice of India UU Lalit, S Ravindra Bhat, and Bela M Trivedi set aside the judgments and orders of conviction and sentence passed by the trial court and the High Court in the case.

The court gave the accused a benefit of the doubt and directed to set free the accused forthwith if not required in any other case.

However, the court also directed that the parents of the victim would be entitled to the compensation, if not awarded so far by the Delhi State Legal Services Authority, as may be permissible in accordance with the law.

“Every case has to be decided by the Courts strictly on merits and in accordance with the law without being influenced by any kind of outside moral pressures or otherwise,” the top court remarked.

Three men had moved the top court against capital punishment for the rape and murder of a 19-year-old girl in Delhi’s Chhawala.

The three convicts were awarded the death penalty after being held guilty of raping and killing a 19-year-old woman in 2012. The victim’s mutilated body was found in a field with multiple injuries due to assault with objects ranging from car tools to earthen pots.

A Delhi court in February 2014 convicted them. The capital punishment was confirmed by the Delhi High Court on August 26, 2014, saying they were “predators” moving on the streets and “were looking for prey”.

Three men, Ravi Kumar, Rahul, and Vinod were convicted under various charges dealing with kidnapping, rape, and murder.

The three convicts have challenged the Delhi High Court order in the Supreme Court.

A case was registered regarding this at outer Delhi’s Chhawala (Najafgarh) police station.

According to the prosecution, the offense was barbaric in nature as they first kidnapped the woman, raped her, killed her, and dumped her body in a field in Rodhai village in Haryana’s Rewari district.

“The woman was kidnapped by the three men in a car from near her house in the Qutub Vihar area on the night of February 9, 2012, while she was returning from office,” the prosecution had said.

The prosecution had also revealed multiple injuries on the woman’s head and other parts of her body and said that the three men had assaulted the woman with a car jack and an earthen pot. The crime was committed by Ravi Kumar with the help of the other two accused as the girl has refused the friendship proposal of Ravi Kumar, the prosecution had alleged. (ANI)

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8 Lakh Views To India’s First Live-Streaming Of SC

By LokMarg

In a landmark moment in the history of the Indian judiciary, the Supreme Court on Tuesday live-streamed on YouTube its proceedings for the public to watch.

The proceedings were watched by more than eight lakh viewers.
This step will go a long way in overcoming the barriers of distance and will provide citizens from every nook and corner of the country opportunity to watch the Supreme Court proceedings, said a statement issued by the Supreme Court.

It further stated that this is a humble beginning and the “attempts will now be made to live-stream proceedings in all important matters” until live-streaming of proceedings becomes the order of the day.

“Three Constitution Benches in Court nos. 1, 2 and 3 of the Supreme Court of India were sitting today simultaneously and the proceedings in these three Courts were being live streamed through YouTube and other T.V. Channels. Statistics show that more than eight lakh viewers watched the proceedings before the three Constitution Benches,” said the Supreme Court.

The decision to live stream the proceedings of the Constitution benches was taken by the Full Court on September 20, 2022 and soon thereafter trial runs were undertaken by the Registry.

The technical support teams ensured that the live streaming was without any obstruction or difficulty and was completely seamless, the statement added.

Last week Supreme Court decided to hold live streaming of all the Constitution bench hearings from September 27.

Today, three Constitution benches heard the cases relating to pleas challenging the Centre’s decision to grant a 10 per cent quota for the EWS category in admissions and jobs, the Maharashtra political crisis, and control of administrative services in Delhi.

A five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India UU Lalit heard pleas challenging the EWS quota case. The case challenges the 103rd Constitution Amendment.

Justice DY Chandrachud-led bench heard the petitions filed by both the Uddhav Thackeray-led camp and Eknath Shinde group on the issue of Maharashtra political crisis, and the plea of the Delhi government on the contentious issue of who should control administrative services in Delhi over the transfers and postings of officers in the national capital.

While a bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul heard the matter relating to the validity of the All India Bar Examination.

Yesterday, CJI said that the Supreme Court will have its own platform to live-stream its proceedings and the use of YouTube for the purpose is temporary.

“These are the initial stages. We will certainly have our own platforms… We will take care of that (copyright issue),” he said while a lawyer told the apex court that the copyright of the top court proceedings cannot be surrendered to private platforms like YouTube.

Currently, the Constitution bench of the Supreme Court has been hearing a number of cases including economically backward class reservation law, the religious practice of ex-communication in the Dawoodi Bohra community, Centre’s petition on additional compensation for victims of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy among others.

The cases that the five-judge Constitution bench will hear in near future include challenges to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), abrogation of Article 370, Maharashtra political crisis etc.

Senior advocate Indira Jaising had also written to the CJI and other judges requesting the Supreme Court to begin live streaming of proceedings of matters of public and constitutional importance.

In 2018 the then CJI Dipak Misra-led three-judge bench had agreed to start a live telecast of proceedings in a phased manner.

For the first time, the Supreme Court in August live-streamed its proceedings through a government webcast portal of a ceremonial bench for while giving farewell to outgoing Chief Justice of India NV Ramana. (ANI)

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CJI Lalit

CJI Lalit Refutes Reports Of Rift Among Top Judges

By LokMarg

Chief Justice of India (CJI) UU Lalit refuted any rift among judges of the Supreme Court in relation to the new listing system of cases on Thursday, and said that “all judges are on the same page”.

“We have taken a new way of listing. What has been reported is not the correct state of affairs. All Judges are completely on the same page,” CJI Lalit said in the felicitation function organised for him by the Supreme Court Bar Association.

The CJI elaborated that the new listing system was a work in progress that has shown promise by disposing of 5200 cases since its introduction.

Earlier on Wednesday, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul remarked that the new listing system does not give adequate time to take up matters fixed for hearing. The bench, also comprising Justice Abhay Oka, said that many cases cannot be taken up as there are a number of matters within the span of the ‘Afternoon’ session.

“The new listing system is not giving adequate time to take up matters fixed for hearing like the present case as there are a number of matters within the span of ‘Afternoon’ session,” the order passed by the bench of Justice Kaul had said.

CJI Lalit, while addressing the gathering, said that till yesterday, the apex court could dispose of 5200 matters as against the filing of 1135 cases.

“As a result of change over, there have been certain instances where matters were listed on the 11th hour. Difficult for judges, indebted to them for discharging everything with a smiling face. That’s how we were able to dispose of 5200,” he said.

We have been able to reduce the arrears by 4000, CJI said terming it a good beginning. “So many matters were pending and had become infructuous. So we had to dispose of them and the results are before you,” CJI added.

After assuming the office of CJI, one of the first changes introduced by CJI Lalit was regarding the hearing of cases in the top court on non-miscellaneous days (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays). As per this, on non-miscellaneous days, the apex court currently hears regular matters in the morning session (10.30 am to 1 pm) and miscellaneous and after notice matters in the afternoon session (2 pm to 4 pm).

Earlier, the norm was to take up miscellaneous matters first and then proceed to the regular hearing.

CJI also said that it was always his dream to become a judge of the Supreme Court.

“It’s a privilege to be a lawyer. Everything I am today is a because of this legal profession. I can’t consider myself to be anything other than this profession. Being a member of this bar association was a matter of privilege,” CJI further said.

Attorney General (AG) KK Venugopal also attending the felicitation ceremony said that he was happy to have a CJI of “unquestionable integrity and calm” who doesn’t raise his voice whatever may be the provocation.

“We are all happy that one among us, who is a member of the Supreme Court Bar Association, is holding the highest judicial office in the country. Only a few among us have had the privilege of being directly elevated to the bench of the Supreme Court of India. We are additionally happy that we are having a Chief Justice of India of unquestionable integrity,” AG said.

“If the last two and half weeks of Justice Lalit’s tenure have shown us anything it is that he is committed to planting a seed of lasting change and that his tenure offers a great future for this institution,” AG further said. (ANI)