Expressing concern at the 2.59 crore cases pending in courts across the country,  Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan on Saturday sought the strengthening of the judicial system to ensure speedy justice.

Of the total pending cases, the high courts accounted for 98 lakh cases and the apex court for 43,000, Balakrishnan said while inaugurating the centenary celebrations of the Kollam Bar Association.

The strengthening of the judicial system is required to reduce the number, he said. Noting that lawyers also had an important role to play in ensuring speedy justice, he said India has the largest number of lawyers after the US.

Minor changes in existing laws often threw up a plethora of new cases.

For example, some minor amendments to the Negotiable Instruments Act generated a large number of cases, Balakrishnan pointed out.

It is not possible for courts to rush through cases as people approached them after due consideration of various aspects of the issues involved, he said.

Noting the completion of a 100 years by the Bar Association in Kollam, he said the erstwhile princely state of Travancore had a good system of justice.

The Kollam Bar had churned good lawyers and eminent personalities who excelled in public life, he said.
The Chief Justice of Kerala High Court, Justice H L Datu, and Advocate General K Sudhakara Prasad also spoke on the occasion.