Judges must inspire public confidence in judiciary: CJI

Tirupati: Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant has said that judges carry the responsibility of instilling confidence among thousands of people who approach courts seeking justice, assuring them that fairness and protection will be delivered through the legal system. He was speaking after laying the foundation stone and taking part in the bhoomi puja ceremony for a new court complex comprising 16 court halls at Daminedu village in Tirupati Rural mandal on Sunday.

The Chief Justice attended the programme along with Supreme Court judges Justice JK Maheshwari, Justice PS Narasimha, Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra, Justice SVN Bhatti and Justice Joymalya Bagchi.

The event marked the beginning of the construction of a modern district court complex aimed at improving judicial infrastructure in the region.

Addressing the gathering, Justice Surya Kant said that he had always believed that court complexes should function like hospitals. Just as a patient visiting a hospital expects immediate care and reassurance, every person entering a court should feel safe and confident that justice will be delivered. This responsibility rests equally on both the Bar and the Bench. The CJI expressed his hope that the new complex would emerge as a ‘temple of justice’, where every visitor leaves with satisfaction after receiving justice. He also appreciated the intellectual prowess and historical legacy of the Tirupati Bar and wished for its continued growth. The new complex, he said, would provide a better working environment for lawyers and judicial officers.

Justice JK Maheshwari said that ensuring affordable access to justice and delivering decisions within predictable timelines would remain key challenges. He urged state governments to plan judicial infrastructure keeping in mind the needs for the next 50 to 100 years, noting that urbanisation and population growth would make land availability difficult in the future.

Andhra Pradesh High Court Chief Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur said significant efforts had been made to strengthen judicial infrastructure in the State after bifurcation, despite difficult circumstances.

He stressed that better infrastructure directly improves efficiency in the justice delivery system and recalled how courts continued functioning even during extreme situations such as floods in Jammu & Kashmir, demonstrating the commitment of the judiciary. Justice Ninala Jaya Surya described the occasion as a memorable milestone

in the history of the district judiciary, stating that the presence of the Chief Justice of India and Supreme Court judges would inspire members of the Bar and Bench.