Peace shall only prevail when people's rights, dignity protected: CJI NV Ramana

Chief Justice of India CJI NV Ramana said peace shall only prevail when peoples dignity and rights are recognised and protectedThe CJI who made the remarks after laying the foundation stone of a new high court building complex in Srinagar emphasized that mere laws were not enough to build tradition it requires men of high ideals to infuse life in the skeleton of lawDenial of justice would ultimately lead to anarchy Soon the institution of judiciary would be destabilized as people will look for extrajudicial mechanisms Peace shall only prevail when peoples dignity and rights are recognised and protectedIn the speech he quoted poet Ali Jawad Zaidi to reflect his sentiments and famous Urdu poet Rifat Sarfarosh As poet Raja Basu an admirer of Kashmir observed Jammu and Kashmir is the confluence of three great religions Hinduism Buddhism and Islam It is this confluence which is at the heart of our plurality which needs to be sustained and cherished said Justice RamanaHe emphasized that for the functioning of a healthy democracy it is imperative that the people feel that their rights and dignity are protected and recognised and expeditious adjudication of disputes is the hallmark of a healthy democracyMere laws are not enough to build tradition in a country It requires men of indelible character inspired by high ideals to infuse life and spirit in the skeleton of the laws the CJI saidDear Judges and judicial officers you play a very significant role in our constitutional scheme The common man always considered the judiciary as the ultimate guardian of rights and libertiesHe said often litigants are under a lot of psychological stress and they may be illiterate unaware of law and have various financial issues and the judges should try to make them feel at easeJustice Ramana said sadly postindependence judicial infrastructure has not been overhauled to meet the demands of growing needs of modern IndiaWe are far behind in making our courts inclusive and accessible If we dont attend to this urgently the constitutional ideal of access to justice would stand defeated The condition of judicial infrastructure across the country is far from satisfactory Courts are operating from rented accommodations and under deplorable conditionsThe CJI added that one of the major challenges to the protection of rule of law and human rights is the inability of the formal justice system to deliver speedy and affordable justice to allThe justice delivery mechanism in India is very complex and expensive The judiciary must be at its innovative best to ensure that the challenges to its working are met with just and constitutional measures he said and added that in a country like India where a vast digital divide still exists much needs to be done in order to harness the full potential of technological innovationsCiting Winston Churchill the CJI said We shape our buildings thereafter they shape us Although the persons who will occupy this building would be the members of the Bar the Bench and their support staff we must not forget that the focal point of any justice delivery system is the litigant who is the justice seekerThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever