Addressing chronic cases is the real challenge: CJI

Ahmedabad, Sep 17 (PTI) The real challenge before thejudiciary is to address chronic cases which remain festeringin courts, Chief Justice of India T S Thakur said today evenas he stressed that disposing of smaller cases was likecleaning the house of the garbage littered around. Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the GujaratState Judicial Academy, Justice Thakur recalled that when hewas the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana, he held LokAdalats throughout the two states and disposed of 14 lakhcases. "But then we thought that disposing of smaller cases islike holding a broom and cleaning the house of garbage lyingaround. The real challenge lies in addressing chronic caseswhich remain festering in the courts," he said. The CJI said, in order to address the issue, he thenasked judges in the two states to provide particulars of 200oldest civil and criminal cases. "Once the details came in, we told them…the target nowis to dispose of these oldest of cases, because to disposeordinary, inconsequential cases is not enough. We shoulddispose old, chronic cases," he said, adding that to disposethem, judges were given additional weightage, by bringing themunder the unit system. "The result was that within a period of six months or so,by the time I left for Supreme Court, judicial officers haddisposed of 5,500 of the oldest civil and criminal cases," hesaid. During his speech, Justice Thakur expressed optimism thatwith the judicial fraternity being conscious of the"ever-increasing number of cases," the challenges will beovercome. "There is an ever-increasing number of cases in thecourts. But then the fact that you are conscious of it, andyou are sensitive to it, and you are gearing for it, is whatis encouraging. So we will overcome all the challenges anddifficulties that may otherwise exist," he said. The CJI had made an emotional appeal for appointing morejudges to resolve millions of pending cases across the countrywhile addressing a joint conference of chief ministers andchief justices of high courts with Prime Minister NarendraModi in attendance in April. Thakur, who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi inGandhinagar this morning, said, "(I) told the PM when I methim in the morning today for breakfast, that coming to Gujaratgave me such peace that once you land here, you feel you havelanded in a very very peaceful place." "And who can feel these vibrations and reverberationsmore than those who hold high offices? Because you know somany things get connected to the office you hold. Therefore, Iwould say that I am lucky to be here with you this morning,and to share my thoughts with you," he told the audience.(MORE) PTI KA PD DK NMSRY