'Justice should neither be instant nor unduly delayed'

There should not be undue haste or delay in the justice delivery mechanism, Justice S A Bobde of the Supreme Court has said.

Instead, the mechanism should be viewed in proper perspective, Justice Bobde said at a national conclave here on Saturday.

The concept of 'instant justice' has been associated with the worst regimes of the world but justice should not be delayed either, he said.

"Nobody wants delayed justice but giving justice takes time and it must be understood in the right perspective," the Supreme Court judge said while reading out the resolutions taken at the conclave.

The conclave on 'Challenges facing the Indian Judiciary - Roadmap for the future' was attended by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, Acting Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court Arup Kumar Goswami, sitting and retired judges of the Gauhati High Court and judges from other high courts of the country.

Justice Bobde also pointed out the low judge-population ratio in the country which is 20 judges per ten lakh population, while in most countries it is 50 to 80 judges per 10 lakh people.

"The ratio of judges compared to the litigations filed is another perspective which should be considered", he said.

The impact of social media on the judiciary was also discussed at the conclave and it was decided that judges should not remain secluded from social media.

"Judges should access social media but should not engage in it. We should be a part of it, as it is important to know what people think of us as we work for the people," Bobde said.

The conclave also discussed various issues concerning the judiciary, including pre-litigation mediation, facilitate better rapport between the Bar and the Bench, live streaming of court proceedings and introduction of artificial intelligence among others.