Baffling that improvement of judicial infrastructure still being carried out in ad-hoc manner: CJI

Good judicial infrastructure for courts in India has always been an afterthought, he said

Chief Justice of India N V Ramana on Saturday stressed on the need for good judicial infrastructure of the country, saying it is important for improving access to justice and to meet the growing demands of the public who are aware of their rights and are developing economically, socially, and culturally.

Speaking at the inauguration of additional court complex of Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court, he asked Law Minister Kiran Rijiju to give statutory backing to the proposal to create National Judicial Infrastructure Authority of India (NJIAI) in the upcoming Winter Session of the Parliament.

"Good judicial infrastructure for courts in India has always been an afterthought. It is because of this mindset that courts still operate from dilapidated structures making it difficult to effectively perform their function," he said.

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Maintaining that courts are extremely essential for any society governed by the rule of law, he said "Court buildings are not merely structures made of mortar and bricks. Rather, they actively assure the constitutional guarantee of right to justice."

Sharing some hard facts, he pointed out the total sanctioned strength of judicial officers in the country is 24,280, while the number of court halls available is 20,143, including 620 rented halls. 26 per cent of court complexes do not have separate ladies toilets and 16 per cent do not have gents toilets. Only 54 per cent of court complexes have purified drinking water facility. Only 5 per cent of court complexes have basic medical facilities.

While only 32 per cent of court rooms have separate record rooms, 51 per cent of court complexes have a library. Only 27 per cent of court rooms have computer placed on the judge’s dais with video-conferencing facility, he said.

"It is baffling to note that the improvement and maintenance of judicial infrastructure is still being carried out in an ad-hoc and unplanned manner," Justice Ramana said.

Emphasising on financial autonomy for the country, he said, "If we want a different outcome from the judicial system, we cannot continue to work in these circumstances".

"An effective judiciary can aid the effective growth of the economy. According to international research published in 2018, failure to deliver timely justice costs the country as much as 9% of annual GDP. Moreover, the impact of an under-supported judiciary is also seen on the foreign investments. Without adequate infrastructure we cannot aspire to fill this gap," he said.

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