Spare a thought for judiciary, CJI tells government

​New Delhi: Chief Justice of India Justice TS Thakur on Monday urged the government to pay attention to the judiciary and address its problems.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day address to the nation from the ramparts of the historic Red Fort here, he said he wondered if the Prime Minister would say something about the country's judicial system.

"Think about justice for the citizens of this country," the Chief Justice said at a function organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) on the Independence Day here.

Pointing to the delays that have crept into the justice delivery system on account of huge pendency of cases, Chief Justice Thakur said that during the British Raj a case used to be decided in 10 years time but now even that was not happening due to the huge backlog.

Pointing out that he has reached his career's pinnacle and was not going anywhere from here and hence didn't think twice before speaking, he said: "Please think how to deliver justice to the people."

Reciting couplets of acclaimed Urdu poet Allama Iqbal, Chief Justice Thakur said that flowers and at times fruit are being showered on others, and the government could spare some for the judiciary as well.

At the start of a similar Independence Day function at the Supreme Court, the knot on the tricolour did not open when the Chief Justice tried to unfurl the national flag. Explaining how the flag was finally unfurled, the Chief Justice said: "We took out the pole, undid the knot on the flag, refixed the pole and unfurled it."

He said those manning the top judiciary were not weak if Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad refused to be provoked by references to judicial appointments by the Bar Association office-bearers.

Bar Association vice-president Ajit Sinha earlier urged the minister to consult the association while appointing judges. Its secretary Gaurav Bhatia said judicial appointments should be made on time.

In his address as guest of honour, the Law Minister said the appointment of judges would go ahead, irrespective of whether a memorandum of procedure (MoP) was in place or not.