CJI stresses need to fill judicial vacancies
HYDERABAD: Filling up judicial vacancies is essential to improve access to justice and all efforts are being made to fill all posts at all levels, Chief Justice of India (CJI) N V Ramana said on Friday.
“I understand that your functioning is adversely affected due to lack of infrastructure and large number of judicial vacancies and I am giving my best to address these issues on priority,” CJI Ramana said at the inauguration of the twoday conference of judicial officers of Telangana, at Madhapur here.
“It has been my endeavour to fill up judicial vacancies at all levels. With cooperation from all stakeholders, we have made considerable progress on this front,” he added.
The CJI agreed that there has been a substantial increase in the number of pending cases due to various reasons. “Once you go to court, it is a big question mark as to how many years it will take to deliver justice. With the hierarchy of the appeal system in the country, it takes more time,” he said.
The Centre has continuously come under the criticism of the Supreme Court over massive vacancies in tribunals across the country. The “bureaucratic hurdle” has impeded filling vacancies in consumer courts and officers
responsible for this must be penalised to get things moving, the top court said on February 23 when it imposed varying monetary fines up to ₹1.5 lakh on several states for not making appointments in these courts within the fixed timeline.
In October last year, the bench reproached the Union government for creating an “imbroglio” over the functioning of the tribunals and making “citizens suffer in the bargain”, observing that it should abolish all tribunals if the judiciary is compelled to make appointments in these bodies to keep them alive. The bench called it “very unfortunate” that the Supreme Court is being called on to fill vacancies in tribunals, which is the primary job of the government that has framed legislations and rules for these forums.
In Telangana, against a sanctioned strength of 42 judges, the high court now has 29 (including the chief justice), after the appointment of 10 new judges. The sanctioned strength itself was increased from 24 to 42 only last year. In February, the SC collegium recommended 12 new appointments, of which 10 have been made. “I am trying to get the remaining two names also cleared,” the CJI said.
He also appreciated Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s efforts of sanctioning 4,320 posts in the judiciary, at a time when governments were doing away with government jobs and making appointments only on contract basis.
On court infrastructure, the CJI said he is making efforts to create statutory Judicial Infrastructure Authorities at the national and state level. “To deal with this and a host of other issues, I have taken the initiative to host a joint conference of chief justices and chief ministers towards the end of this month. I hope and believe that the conference will yield desired results,” he said.
Calling upon judges to create a congenial environment for litigants, the CJI said it is important to project the human face of the judiciary whenever possible. “Make the court proceedings accessible. Consider the socio-economic background, language, education, etc. of the parties involved and deal with them suitably.”